My ears are ringing so badly that sitting in this room may very well drive me mad. Best to turn on the air conditioning if only for the slight hum that it makes.

Last night was loud and hot. Truth be told, it was hotter than it was loud. I was so wet when I walked out of the back of the venue on my way to the bus that I had to take my shirt off because wearing it was making me cold. It was exactly the same feel that you experience when you get out of a swimming pool and feel as though you’re in the arctic even though it’s 25 degrees outside.

As luck would have it, I am actually sitting in a hotel room that has excellent Wifi. Who would have thought that in Lloydminster, of all places, that would be the case? Certainly not I, but it’s a welcome relief from the limited satellite based access on the bus. Rather than waiting ten minutes for a page to load, I am giggling at the speed with which websites are popping up – pathetic, I know.

Of course, a lot of fans have been emailing me and asking if I’m following Euro 2008. We’ve been watching it on the bus when we’re up early enough, but I haven’t been able to follow it live as much as I’d like. For the most part I read post-game reports on the BBC. Right now I am watching Germany and Portugal, and am sort of stunned that the Germans are up a goal. If I had to put my money on anyone it would be the Dutch, but you never know what’s going to happen in major tournaments, so.

That said, the prospect of a shower right now sounds better than winning the lottery, so I’m off.

There is no greater tradition in sports than the FA Cup. No other competition of such prestigious history exists that allows teams from all divisions of play to compete against each other in an attempt to covet the sport’s oldest prize.

The FA Cup brought us the term ‘giant killer’, employed to denote the defeat of top-flight clubs by those of significantly less notoriety. This year’s final represents that tradition, as it will feature Portsmouth and Cardiff, the latter of which hasn’t appeared in the FA Cup final since 1927.

The road to the final this year saw the defeat of world-renowned sides such as Manchester United and Liverpool by teams that most casual observers of the sport have never heard of. But that’s the wonderful reality of the FA Cup; all it takes is ninety minutes of heart to defeat those that are perceived as invincible.

So Portsmouth and Cardiff will battle for the prize this year, and won’t it be something if Cardiff, who is currently in 12th place in the Championship (what used to be known as the First Division, and was the Second Division for decades before that), wins. While I have a soft spot for Portsmouth given who their assistant coach is – Tony Adams – one can’t help by imagine the jubilation that will grip Wales if Cardiff are victorious.

To me, nothing purer in professional sport exists.

Vancouver’s Little Known Sports Legacy

While most of this city is transfixed on the Canucks, a sporting legacy has existed in the Lower Mainland for the better part of a century that most know nothing about.

I was born and raised in what was, at the time, the Municipality of Coquitlam. When I was a kid, it, and the city of New Westminster, had more lacrosse boxes in them per capita than probably anywhere on earth.

Most aren’t aware of it, but the program in New West is considered one of the best in the world. It draws aspiring players from all over the country because of its storied reputation - the Salmonbellies date back to 1888 (making them 21 years older than the Montreal Canadiens) and have won the Mann Cup 24 times, more than any other team in Canada (though their last Mann Cup victory was 17 years ago).

In New Westminster, the popularity of lacrosse among its youth is double that of hockey. Registration is so high, in fact, that it is actually detrimental to New West’s other youth sporting programs.

For those of you in Kamloops and the surrounding area, a date has been added on the shows page.

I was taking a look at incoming links on our Mint page this morning and came across this list of Canada’s top 25 political blogs (which, as always, should be taken with a grain of salt). Being that I tend to rarely read Canadian political blogs, it was interesting to visit some of them, though I must confess that I am baffled at the popularity of blogs such as Small Dead Animals, though I suppose there is a niche for those that like conservative middle aged women that enjoy shooting things – obviously the National Post is among such admirers, which doesn’t come as a resounding surprise. I don’t much favour blogs that merely post entries that generally consist of little more than a handful of lines that simply include quotes and hyperlinks. If one has an opinion, it’s always nice to be able to read detailed reasoning that supports it. Plus, there’s something altogether tacky about posting accolades about yourself on your sidebar (in my opinion anyway).

Last night Rod came up with a few interesting entrepreneurial ideas. Hopefully, for the sake of humour alone, he’ll post about them today.

It’s March the 2nd. I start the upcoming string of US dates in Seattle on Saturday Friday night (oops). I suppose this means that I actually have to rehearse rather than just thinking about it. I don’t know, maybe not rehearsing would be more fun. I mean, what’s me fucking up the better part of 70+ songs amongst friends? To be honest, what I want to know is what the hell is up with this flu/cold that everyone has that never seems to go away?

Our draw with Villa yesterday has placed us on thin ice. We’re now only a point up on United, who thrashed us in our FA cup meeting with them recently. Nail biting time.

Something seriously has to be done about cell phone rates in this country. The fact that the rest of the world pays so much less than we do is ridiculous, especially with regards to data packages.

A few things to mention while I slip in and out of consciousness due to this ridiculous cold that I’ve caught.

The situation in Kenya remains precarious. Both Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga have agreed to begin negotiations, so let’s hope it leads to something substantial.

In Afghanistan, the Upper House of Parliament is supporting the death sentence of a journalist for blasphemy (the distribution of an article insulting to Islam). During last night’s State Of The Union address, President Bush went out of his way to paint Afghanistan as a budding democracy full of hope and new possibilities. It shouldn’t be overlooked that this is the very same democratic government that is supporting the death of this journalist based on religious grounds. It seems eerily familiar with regards to the actions of another Afghan group, doesn’t it?

In the US, while the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the second time in nine days in an attempt to avoid a recession, both Rudy Giuliani (R) and John Edwards (D) have both dropped out of the Presidential race. Their departures signal what will probably be the last two withdrawals before Super Tuesday.

The second half of the Winograd report was released today and it looks like Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is going to politically survive its implications.

Some 100,000 Liverpool FC supporters from around the world are launching a bid to buy back the club from its current American owners – and good on them for it.

From Tom Engelhardt comes Looking Up: Normalizing Air War from Guernica to Arab Jabour.

And lastly, US Attorney General Michael Mukasey reminds us why he’s the perfect man for the job – the inability to actually suggest that he doesn’t think it would be appropriate for him to “pass definitive judgement” on the legality of waterboarding.

I Have A New Favourite Band

I realize that I’m late to the party, but last night I finally got my hands on the first season of the Flight Of The Conchords (site hasn’t been updated since June of 2006).

In my opinion the show is utterly brilliant, but what is even more brilliant is the music produced for it. While it might be comedy based, the writing is, in truth, outstanding – that is, those songs that are original and not based on the songs of others (such as their parody of West End Girls).

There’s just something about the show’s entire situation and how it’s conveyed by the primary characters that is extremely refreshing to me.

I’ve been trying to take a break from the usual, that being the multinational pastime - wholesale slaughter. Given life in these parts, you wouldn’t think that to be the case, but as sure as there’s a Super Bowl’s in January, the world just doesn’t seem to be able to get enough of it. It’s like the crack of nations.

When I was a kid there were Coke commercials that promised a brighter tomorrow. I believed them. I was 10.

You see my point.

Mind you, while we like to participate in the multinational pastime as much as the next guy, we’ve not yet built any venues to host games. Instead, we prefer to play away games - in our away kits.

Sure there’s the odd time that, by accident, another team receives a fax that’s garbled and thinks that a game’s been scheduled over here. On those rare occasions, which are few and far between, we act like it’s the end of the world forgetting that we’ve won the league the last 50 years running.

You know, I’ve always though that the ‘Super Bowl’ was about the stupidest name for an event in sports history. I mean, what would have been wrong with naming it the Vince Lombardi Bowl? I suppose, given that all of the classy bowl names were taken, such as ‘The Rose Bowl’, the only thing the NFL come up with was ‘Super’.

You just know that there was some clown in the room that day that blurted out – “what about the Super-Duper Bowl”!

Only in America.

Then again, they do have the World Series, which, even though it has nothing whatsoever to do with the world, is still a decent name, though somewhat arrogant. But given its history, and the fact that I’m a ball fan, who’s to argue?

On To Proper Pastimes

Becks is training with us. Not that he’s joining the squad or anything, just keeping fit before returning to Los Angeles to sit on the sidelines for another season holding his ankle. You have to wonder, were he actually to suit up in a Gunners kit if he’d suddenly overcome those injuries that have plagued him over the last year.

Say what you will about David Beckham, but there is no denying that, in his prime, he was one of the most magnificent midfielders in football history. His insights and ability to cross footballs with unconscious accuracy was something to behold. I’ll not deny that looking at that that picture, and seeing him adorned in an Arsenal training top, doesn’t send boyish tingles up my spine. Not that we need him, mind you, we’re not exactly playing crap football at the moment, but it’s a nice picture to have nonetheless. It’s no mystery why he didn’t return to United to train, there is certainly no love loss between him and Alex Ferguson. Being that we’re currently on top, and his goal is to impress Fabio Capello in hopes of winning a spot on the National squad, and thus acquire his centennial cap, it only stands to reason that he’d approach Arsene Wenger for the favour.

47 Floors

A New York window washer plunged 47-stories on December 7th of last year. His brother was killed instantly in the accident while he sustained massive injuries – “severe brain, spine and abdomen injuries and both his legs, his right arm and ribs were broken”.

But after nine operations, the 37 year old Ecuadorian immigrant is now awake, responsive, able to talk, and is expected to walk again.

I, The Horrible Hypocrite

Like a lot of men, I have a thing for cars. Call it a result of the time in which I grew up.

Like countless others, my first car was a piece of utter crap. In fact, I had to climb through the passenger door because the driver’s side door was permanently sealed with Bondo and duct tape. I drove that car, a 1979 Plymouth Sapporo, into the ground. When I went in to have my breaks looked at one day some years later, the mechanic told me that were I to hit a serious bump going over 70 or 80 kilometers the car had a decent chance of breaking in two. In the end I got $50 bucks for it at a scrap yard, which was a decent return considering that I originally paid $500 dollars for it.

In my early 20’s, when I moved downtown, I didn’t have a car. Thus, when the band started to do well, and I started to make some money, I found myself, at the age of 28, with the financial ability to get something new. Being that I lived across the street from a Toyota dealership at the time, I thought ‘what the hell, there’s nothing wrong with Toyotas’, and wandered over there one afternoon in an attempt to lease a car from them.

Adorned in combat pants, ragged suede Pumas, a ball cap, and a long-sleeve t-shirt, I walked around the small showroom for about a half an hour before I was finally forced to hunt down a salesperson. The look that I received from him was one of trepidation and disgust, which led to him making my inquiries into their various automobiles both pointless and, quite frankly, embarrassing. The long and the short of it was that, having eyed me up and down, he didn’t think that I had any money.

In this town that’s actually not uncommon. People with money, or who pretend to have it, quite often ensure that they look the part. I, on the other hand, having been used to not having money, didn’t factor that in. As far as I was concerned I just wanted a car and they sold cars – easy enough.

So, dejected, and rather pissed off, I jumped back across the street to my apartment and made a few phone calls.

In the weeks that followed I went to numerous dealerships, all of them domestic, and at all of them encountered the same attitude. In fact, most of the salespeople might as well have been selling Ferraris given how they handled themselves – that being that Ferraris sell themselves and there was no need to bother with actually employing a level of customer service that evoked a warm, fuzzy feeling in the individual looking to purchase. Ironically, since then, I have actually been in two different Ferrari dealerships, both times just for fun, and the level of professionalism and attention displayed by the staff was unbelievable.

Which brings me to how I ended up at a BMW dealership.

The first time that I walked into Brian Jessel BMW, which was then in Coquitlam, the attention to customer service and the professionalism displayed by the staff was overwhelming. I have, since that day, leased or bought all of the cars that I have had since entirely because of the individuals that work there, their conduct, their friendliness, and, most importantly, the stellar service that they continue to provide long after you’ve driven off of their lot.

I’m not trying to promote anything here, just relaying an experience. Had the same thing happened at Ford or GM, then I would probably have ended up being a loyal customer of theirs. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

In truth, I don’t actually drive all that often. Of all the cars I’ve leased, none of them have ever accumulated over 20,000 Km. Added to that, I have also been impatiently waiting for BMW to produce a hybrid of some kind, or at least a more fuel-efficient car that doesn’t require high-grade fuel. But my loyalty to them remains intact, primarily because of their actions following my divorce.

Having lost my car in my divorce, I was in need of something that could transport my dogs and a fair bit of luggage. At the time I wasn’t in the best of emotional states, was squatting at my folks having been the one forced out of the apartment, and was in need of a new vehicle. Understanding my predicament, the dealership, which had since moved to the Vancouver-Burnaby border, sent someone out to Maple Ridge to pick me up, test drive a vehicle on the way back, and then took care of everything for me in a single sitting so that I could leave with a car. If my dealings with them prior to that time hadn’t made me a solid customer, their actions that day made me a life-long one.

When it comes right down to it, I’m a very practical person. I’m the sort of guy that buys one pair of jeans a year. That said, when it comes to cars I take a very practical approach. But that doesn’t mean that, in the past, I haven’t been a typical male idiot either. For a time I owned what is now a very rare and sought after car, a 2001 M Coupe. Driving it was, in truth, what I’d imagine driving the space shuttle would be like. I loved it, it loved me; we got along well, didn’t play well with others, and eventually parted ways because something more practical was needed. Having put next to no kilometers on it, it was eventually re-sold to a chap out east who, when he got it, decided to take it out in the snow and wrapped it around a street lamp – writing it off.

And yes, I did hold a candlelight vigil.

Anyway, the reason that I’ve brought all of this up, knowing full well that many who read this will point fingers and accuse me of being a complete hypocrite, is because I wanted to mention a cool new car that’s coming out this spring.

The new 1 Series has already been released in Europe. It comes in a variety of styles – coupe, cabriolet, 3-door, and 5-door, and is probably the most economical car that they have produced to date (comparable in price to the Volkswagen Golf). Unfortunately, in North America, only the coupe and cabriolet versions will be available. A review in the Sunday Times (UK) by Jeremy Clarkson derided the car, claiming that BMW has sunk to new levels by producing a ‘family hatchback’. Of course, this is the same chap that test-drives Bugatti’s, so it’s to be expected.

Now, if they’d only make a freaking hybrid version!

It’s early days, I’ll not deny that. But more often than not, early days have a profound affect in May. When it comes to the Manchester derby, I’ll not deny that I have a soft spot for City - always have. Living in the shadow of United is something that City supporters have to endure year in and year out, so today’s City victory over United is, for City supporters, a reason to go on a bender this evening. Not only that, having won all three of their matches this season, City also finds itself in a listed tie at the top of the table, which may very well be short lived, but is also cause for celebration in the interim. Sven-Goran Eriksson’s impact might just prove to be the turning point in City’s usual misfortunes, and like others, such as Wigan and Portsmouth, may very well lead to a strengthening in resolve and confidence that could bring out performances that might have otherwise escaped them.

There’s no question that City was, for the most part, outplayed this afternoon, and that 19 year old Micah Richards’ performance at the back has to be singled out as the reason why City was able to stave off wave after wave of United assaults until Geovanni’s unlikely 31st minute goal put City in front and found them suddenly finding their form and controlling the match for the remainder of the half. From there is was simply a matter of hanging on, with United unable to produce despite numerous chances in the second half.

United remains winless in three, and now finds itself 16th over all. Arsenal and Blackburn drew, as did Chelsea and Liverpool, leaving the unlikely Wigan securing their third victory over Sunderland and joining City at the top of the table.

For complete stats, see the BBC’s Barclays Premier League Table.

Updated: August 2, 12:55 PM.

I’m in Winnipeg today before flying to Calgary this evening. Having had a few conversations this morning, I have decided to put back on the books my scheduled interview with the Edmonton Sun. Having said that, while the focus of the interview will obviously be on the new record, I have no problem confronting recent issues and, in that forum, providing direct responses. Should the Northern Alliance be armed, funded, and used as a proxy force against the Taliban to diminish the role of ISAF? After all, it is their country, they were highly active during the primary stages of the country’s initial invasion, and have battled the Taliban for years. It is true that many of their numbers have been rolled into the Afghan army, but there are still those that were supposedly disarmed following the invasion that could be considered. Then again, should the mission itself be re-examined and perhaps reconstituted under a new UN mandate that involves participatory states from the region itself as members of a UN commanded initiative?

Skimming the comments from my last entry this morning I came upon one of the most troubling things I have ever read on this website…

“Unless you serve your country in some way, politically, public sevice, military, etc, then citizenship is just a title that you throw around when things go bad for you. And if you feel so stongly about it, then talk to someone who actually earns the right to their citizenship by standing for Canada.”

To believe that someone who serves in our military actually believes this to be true is utterly frightening. The last time I checked, the Canadian public controlled the right for the military to even exist – as is the case in any free nation that would dare call itself democratic. Beyond that, all I can do is shake my head. Some have called the comments in the post in question nothing but echo chamber responses, others have debated reasonably, some have chosen to take a harder line. But, in my opinion, there is no excuse for such ignorance.

I have written a great deal about my views with regards to Afghanistan. If you want to find them, simply use the search engine or refer to the archives. Until cooler heads prevail, especially regarding those that have left completely embarrassing comments that have had to be removed and, I feel, have tarnished the integrity of this website, I’ll not entertain the subject.

Turning to Iraq, and their recent football victory - though some might not be aware, a majority of the Iraqi national side does not reside in Iraq, as they play for club sides in other countries. Because of the situation in Iraq, they also do not hold national squad practices on home soil, and prior to the Asian Cup practiced in Jordan.

After their upset of the Saudis, Iraq’s captain, Younis Mahmoud, made a bold statement, one that should not be overlooked. He said, quite simply…

“I want America to go out,” he said. “Today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, but out. I wish the American people didn’t invade Iraq and hopefully it will be over soon.”

There are those that might say that Mahmoud has no business mixing sport and politics, but in this instance, being that the Iraqi national side consists of players from all three major ethnic groups in Iraq, I believe that his statement was necessary.

There have been numerous reports over the last month regarding the ineffectuality of the current Iraqi government. The United States has claimed that it has not done enough to reach benchmarks set by Congress – benchmarks set by a foreign political body that represents an occupying power. There are also the issues of corruption with regards to reconstruction and the recently released report by Oxfam which singles out the Iraqi government’s inability to tackle serious humanitarian issues.

The current Iraqi Parliament has existed since early 2006, and yet, in the midst of a foreign occupation, a war between occupational forces and guerrillas, and a civil war raging between the country’s various ethnic groups - which has, in no small way, infected various government ministries – somehow the Iraqi government is supposed to meet goals and solve problems as if it were operating in peacetime and not under the scrutiny of a foreign military power, one which is not only in the midst of building the largest Embassy on earth in Iraq, but numerous military bases – all of which are symbols of permanence and detract from the projected authority of the government.

Much of the devastation caused the country’s infrastructure was due to the initial US aerial bombardment in 2003, and yet the Iraqi government is accused of not properly asserting what little authority it has over a nation rife with corruption caused by the post invasion power vacuum that has plagued it to no end. That said, one wonders what the government of Mr. al-Maliki is supposed to do? His is, for lack of a better term - a puppet government - one rushed into existence to placate domestic American political concerns, not particularly one that has the wherewithal to seriously tackle Iraqi domestic problems, be they security or humanitarian issues.

One wonders where that same application has been put into use?

Well, it’s been a long time coming, and for football to be the impetus is just fine by me. Finally Iraqis have something to celebrate, and in this case it’s something that has united them more than any other occurrence in recent history - the Iraqi national side has just won The Asian Cup.

“Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 1-0. Celebratory gunfire was heard in Baghdad, where authorities had banned vehicles and urged fans not to gather.

It was feared crowds could be targets for bombers. Some 50 people died in attacks after Wednesday’s semi-final.

Correspondents say Iraq’s progress has temporarily united the divided country.

The team includes Sunni and Shia Muslims, as well as Kurds.

The crowds in Baghdad included members of the security forces. Guns were fired into the air despite an earlier warning by the authorities that any such displays would be punished.

“It’s a huge success for Iraq and it’s a very, very good news for Iraq,” Iraq’s national security adviser Mouwaffaq al-Rubaie told the BBC.

“You should come to see the jubilation and the joy which is spreading all over Baghdad’s streets now. People are pouring in, hundreds of thousands of people are pouring into the streets.”

Want to know what the closest thing to world peace looks like? Well, here it is…

I suppose I should have written something about this when it occurred. Obviously my attentions are usually focused elsewhere, but I figure penning something about Becks is warranted, especially given the fact that, after perusing some incoming links, it seems that the fine fellows at the Canadian Soccer Forum think I have no idea what I’m talking about with regards to football.

Oh dear.

The boy from Layton Orient turf whose parents raised him a dyed in the wool United supported is now a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy (I almost put a question mark at the end of that sentence). I remember being in London mixing Beautiful Midnight and watching United’s dramatic come back against Bayern Munich in injury time - both of the goals put home being the products of Beckham corners. They secured the Treble that night, having secured the league title by coming back against Spurs on closing day, and then defeating The Magpies in the FA Cup final.

Despite being a life-long Gunners supporter, I couldn’t help but stand and yell jubilantly at the television when United won the match. After all, they were an English side and the first British side to win the Treble since Jock Stein’s Lisbon Lions (Celtic) won the Quadruple in 1967. I suppose things of that nature happen every so often. I remember being at Highbury on that bizarre closing day when that terrible math became the season’s deciding factor. We beat Villa 1-nil that afternoon, but needed, of all teams, Spurs to ensure that the same result was not achieved by Man United. In short, we needed a Spurs win. Radios following the Spurs – United match could be heard up and down the North Bank, and, probably for the first time in Arsenal history, when Spurs scored in the first half the entire end erupted. Of course, United would come back to score twice in the second half, so that was that.

My worst memory do to with football also occurred on that day while on the train back to Richmond. The Piccadilly Line was, of course, jammed with dejected supporters, the cars quiet. We pulled in at Leicester Square and a young man, maybe in his early 20’s, got on the train and started singing Man United FC. No one said anything, there were just glares. He stood by the door of the car with a big smile on his face right in front of two men in their late thirties who were, to put it lightly, not at all impressed with his cheek. When the doors opened at Piccadilly Station both of them, as if on cue, grabbed him, dragged him off the train, and proceeded to kick him while he attempted to curl up in a ball on the platform.

No one in the car said a thing, and to my utter shame, neither did I.

I have, in a box now in storage, every Arsenal kit top from 1978 to 2004. I also have the 1971 Double top that we wore during the FA Cup final. It is, of course, a prized possession being that it was the year in which I was born. Ironically, we wouldn’t win a damn thing again until the year I graduated high school, and even then, that episode gave new meaning to Wilder’s ‘The Skin Of Our Teeth’.

All of that said, Beckham’s arrival in LA was, to me, a rather tragic event. I realize that there are those here in North America that view his decision to play for the Galaxy a fantastic boost for the sport on a continent where it is largely overlooked (except by the Mexicans, of course), but the truth of the matter is that we’ve been here before, and with a greater star attached.

While Pele was never the international advertising cash cow that David Beckham is, it should not be forgotten that he finished his football career playing for the New York Cosmos. At the time, his involvement in North American football helped gain brief recognition for the sport, but would ultimately fail in bringing it into the mainstream. The one thing I do remember about Pele’s last match, which was a friendly against his old club side Santos, is that he addressed the capacity crowd in New York before the match and had them repeat the word ‘love’ with him several times. And that, to me, speaks volumes about the man.

I do not doubt David Beckham’s passion for football, that is something that I would never question having watched countless interviews regarding international disappointments when he was either on the verge of tears, or outright crying. Tremendous weight has been placed on his shoulders in the past to dispel England’s international woes, and he has borne it as best a man could under the circumstances. He has played with passion when it counted, and on several occasions paid for that passion by being sent off in crucial matches. But that has never deterred me from supporting him as a footballer.

In truth, David Beckham’s true talent is not to be found in his right foot. It’s to be found in what my father commonly refers to as ‘the sight’. Throughout football history there have been those that have possessed the ability to see the game in an altogether different way than most players. Be it the likes of Ferenc Puskas, Johan Cruijff, or Zidane – all of them operated at an almost unconscious level when it came to intrinsically knowing where everything was at any given time. They knew the habits of those they played with, knew where they would be - not only based on their own internal instincts, but on their actions while on the football as well. They possessed the ability to ‘move the field’, as it were, in their heads as if chess pieces and play from a position of commonly anticipated actions and reactions in a way that seemed almost unnatural.

All of the personal skills in the world cannot match the possession of that talent, and it is one that very few have, David Beckham being one of them.

Throughout his career he has often disliked being played on the far right, most likely due to the fact that it makes him feel restricted as to his vision of play. It’s just speculation, of course, but I would wager that that’s why he battled for so long to be placed in a holding role in the middle. Unfortunately, and even though sides began to find ways to shut him down when he did play wide, his skill at placing footballs exactly where they needed to be from the far right is, perhaps, unmatched in football history. At the top of his game, his ability to do so while moving the ball at full stride was a thing of absolute beauty.

But now, at the end of his career, with only a handful of trophies having eluded him, he has decided to play for - the Los Angeles Galaxy?

There, I used a question mark.

While not as shocking as Liverpool being bought by an American, it’s still rather shocking. There are those that obviously believe that Becks will be enough of a novelty to attract those interested in seeing him play. But therein lies the problem – is it just a novelty? And if so, how long until it wears off? There’s no question that it was a massively lucrative move on his part. There is also no questioning that the expansion of his marketability will also be extremely lucrative, which may have more to do with people’s ultimate exposure to the game than actually watching it.

In the end, buying the brand might become more important than repeating the word ‘love’.

This morning I received the following email. Have a read.

“First off, I am a fan of your music and respect your opinionated website.

But this email is about soccer. I have read statements form you stating how much you love the English national team. This really irks me as you are Canadian, and should therefore love the Canadian team first and foremost. As one of the few (only?) Canadian ‘celebrities’ (and I use that term loosely) that is a soccer fan, it is really disappointing that Canadian soccer does not have you on its side.

Do you follow Canadian Soccer? Do you know who Julian deGuzman, Atiba Hutchinson, and Dwayne deRosario are? Do you think Owen Whoregraves is a great guy who made a smart decision?

I invite you to join the #1 Canadian Soccer Website and Forum on the ‘net, www.theVoyageurs.com, and discuss your love for your Dad’s team at the expense of Canadian soccer.

Martin Montes, for The Voyageurs, Canada’s Hardcore Soccer Supporters”

First, I think it was Owen’s decision to make, and being that he was eligible to play for the English national side, did what he wanted to do. And I support his decision 110%. It was his to make, not yours or anyone involved with the Canadian nation team. The fact that you’d stoop low enough to refer to him in that manner says quite a bit.

Further to that, I have been an English national supporter my entire life, and will remain so until the day I die. If that makes me a disgrace then so be it. Were I given the choice, as a footballer, to play for either Canada or England, my answer would be automatic – England.

As an aside, I’m also a Seattle Mariners fan. I just wanted to run that by you to make sure that by not being a Blue Jays I’m still allowed to keep my passport.

It seems that I am now unworthy of calling myself a proud Canadian…

“I slag Owen because he is a liar and a quitter.

And I do not respect your soccer allegiances because you have stated on many occasions what a proud Canadian you are, and what a huge soccer fan you are, and yet you have no time for Canada’s Team. You are the definition of a Soccer Eurosnob, and I regret contacting you.”

If you’ve been following the U-20 World Cup, which Canada is currently hosting, then you’re most likely aware that the Canadian national side not only didn’t advance to the second round, but failed to score in any of its three first round matches.

In those three matches, the Canadian national team registered a mere eight shots on target and was outscored 6 - nil. Their group consisted of Congo, Chile, and Austria – three nations that aren’t known for being powerhouses internationally, but three nations in which football is the most popular team sport.

As far as I’m concerned, the hype that has surrounded this event, and the pressure placed on the Canadian national squad because of it, has been entirely unwarranted. We are, by no means, a nation that is truly dedicated to football, and to expect any Canadian team to display the sort of quality that those nations that are dedicated to the sport exhibit is wholly unrealistic. Were this the World Junior Hockey Tournament, then I might understand the disappointment, but it isn’t. To place young Canadian footballers in a position in which they are expected to produce world class results is entirely unfair.

In my 36 years I have been a diehard supporter of the English National side. My father is English, I grew up watching English football, and my allegiance lies with them not only because of my family’s background, but because they are a football nation. In truth, if you want to talk about disappointment, we invented the sport and have only won the World Cup proper once, in 1966.

England, like numerous other noted nations, is not present at this U-20 tournament, primarily because youth players in their systems are routinely sent directly to the U-21 squads for development reasons. When examining the ability of an 17 year old that has come up through a noted system, such as that of West Ham or Ajax, their ability to play at a higher level of competitiveness is of greater import because it helps not only gauge whether they’re able to be fielded in proper league play at the highest levels, but also to expose them to a level of play that is driven by players that have top flight experience. Thus, U-19 and U-20 squads are of significantly less importance.

The quality of a tournament of this nature is, in truth, not going to represent the best that most noted nations have to offer because, to them, those that are of considerable talent and are under the age of 20 are already being fielded in top flight football, even if only as substitutes or on second teams.

There is no question that football is the world’s premier sport. It is played and watched by more people around the world on a yearly basis than most other major sports combined. That said, the failure of our U-20 squad in this tournament mustn’t be viewed as some grand failure or disgrace. We are not a football nation, nor have we ever been. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that we never will be. That is not to say that we have not produced some world class players in our time, but, in truth, their exploits got largely unnoticed overseas for the most part and they often find themselves struggling when they return home to play for the national side because the quality is simply not the same.

Thus, while it’s Canada’s honour to host the tournament, we shouldn’t place too much emphasis on how our side faired. Because personally, if you think this is bad, try being an England supporter sometime.