Robert Green, the Hand of Clod
Robert Green, the Hand of Clod

 

I sure wouldn’t want to be this guy. The Brit goalie, Robert Green,  will never be able to appear in public again, it seems. He goes into the Goalie Hall of Shame forever. According to New Zealand Herald:

El Diego gave us the Hand of God, Thierry Henry the Hand of Frog, now Robert Green is destined, according to the disparaging headline that featured in two red-top Sunday papers, to be remembered as the Hand of Clod.

The unfortunate Green and his wrists of wet spaghetti let past a shot from American Clint Dempsey that barely had enough steam to make it across the line.

Are Americans this cruel to our sports icons? Our sports icon seem to catch more hell for their indiscretions than they do their playing time mistakes.  I am not even sure why New Zealand is beating up on an England player.  Are we immune to this kind of scorn because we don’t have any national sports teams who routinely play.  All of our American teams are created for special occasions and are not a standing team for seasonal play, for major sports.

Our very own Starry Flights is in South Africa and has take in a few soccer games. I hope he will comment from time to time.

Americans, overall, seem rather underwhelmed by the World Cup. Mr. Howler pronounced on Saturday that the England vs USA World Cup soccer game was like watching paint dry. I then heard the buzz of curtains being sucked into his nostrils for a while, only for him to arise from the recliner to tell me it was the most boring sporting event he had ever watched. What is everyone take on the World Cup games?

20 Thoughts to “Hand of Clod?”

  1. IVAN

    A gift from the “Soccer Gods”. I hope this guy doesn’t have a Twitter account or Facebook page.

  2. Poor Richard

    “Are Americans as cruel to our sports icons?” Yep.

    Bill Buckner

  3. marinm

    I enjoyed the match. I was on facebook chatting up some friends about it and talking smack to some people I know in England. They got very, very smug after the 4th minute when the US gave up that goal.

    When the soccer gods smiled upon the US in the 40th minute it was like the wind got taken out of the sails of those fans. And, in the closing minutes of the match when the camera was panning across the cheering US fans and the clearly devestated English… It made me very joyful. 🙂

    It may be that I was raised in a soccer family but our family and extended family all watched the game and were very happy with the US’s game.

    A tie was a victory for the US. Thankfully we crushed the infidels and drove them away as we watched the lamentation of there women. 🙂

  4. Emma

    Poor guy does have a Facebook page, and some posters are ruthless:

    “yep everyone get behind robert green,because f@#% me some has to be to get the ball before it crosses the line–”

    The mixed blessings of instant communications…

  5. I feel sorry for the guy. It is only a game. I don’t think we are as vicious about game mistakes. Maybe I am wrong.

    I am glad marin enjoyed the game. Mr. Howler has attitude about soccer. He is no fun at all.

  6. El Guapo

    I think the Brits are a bit more cruel especially in Manchester. When MUFC bought Ji Sung Park the fans didn’t waste any time writing chants that would be considered offensive on this side of the pond:

    He shoots,
    he scores,
    he eats Labradors
    Ji-Sung Park,
    Ji-Sung Park.

    And this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie7Ocwk1Fz0

    But it’s sad that one man’s mistake gets so much attention meanwhile outstanding performances are ignored. Tim “The Alley Cat” Howard played a fantastic game making several impressive saves while playing with what may have been a cracked rib (he’s getting x-rays today). Steve Cherundolo played awesome as well shutting down Wayne Rooney. If we only had an offense.

  7. marinm

    On the upside, I don’t see him getting shot and killed when he returns to England.

    The problem with the World Cup is.. you make a mistake and you may face death in your home country.

  8. Rick Bentley

    I watched it. I was drifting to sleep.

    The only exciting moment in the 65 minutes I watched was this guy muffing the ball, poor guy.

  9. Rick, but did you snore during it and then claim it was boring?

    Marin, you are right and you aren’t kidding in all cases.

  10. Rick Bentley

    Drifted to sleep, snored, and claim at all points in time that it was boring.

    Still, I’ll try to enjoy some of it and to soak in the color.

  11. Wolverine

    Freddie Lindstrom 1924 — redux.

  12. Wolverine

    That was a shot on goal with no power behind it. An easy capture. For just a fatal moment, Green is bending down to scoop it up but with one eye on the disposition of his fullbacks and midfielders and the opposition strikers and sweeper and thinking about where he can best send the ball back forward to his teammates. I suspect that, in just the blink of an eye, his mind was not on the ball itself.

    I also understand that there is a new type of ball being used and that players are complaining that it bounces in strange and unexpected directions. Another reason why Green should have been fully concentrated on the ball..

  13. Poor bloke. He will never live it down.

  14. Wolverine

    You may be right, Moon. Freddie Lindstrom was the goat of the 1924 World Series when a ground ball to third base took an unexpected hop over his head, and the Series was lost. In self defense, Freddie always maintained that the ball had hit a pebble on the field, thus the crazy hop. Actually, Freddie was a good ballplayer. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. But, in the history of baseball Freddie will always be remembered as the guy who blew the Series in 1924.

    As for Poor Richard’s mention of Bill Buckner? Bill was playing with great heart on a very poor set of legs. It looked like he could scarcely run, but he still had a potent bat. And then that slow ground ball squirted between his legs. Bill, of course, had the personal misfortune of being a member of the Red Sox. Boy, now I’m going to hear it!!! Just kidding, folks!!! Har, har, har!!!

  15. punchak

    Good to get the real explanation from Wolve.

    I hadn’d noticed that Green had one eye on the disposition of his fullbacks and other people on the field; thus took the eye off the ball. Never, never take your eye off the ball!
    Ever! That blink of an eye did him in. Poor bloke!

  16. Wolverine

    Actually, Punchak, I’m just tossing out a good possibility about Green’s miscue. I was once the soccer coach at a middle school in Africa. Had a goalie who did the same thing…far too often. He was a good goalie but I just couldn’t break him of that bad habit. I kept telling him not to assess the field until he had the ball secure in his hands. Sigh….

  17. Starryflights

    Here are a few pics from the other night’s game b/w US and England

    English team
    http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4695532708_fb39c8a5c8.jpg

    Landon Donovan
    http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4694900117_1d9db7abeb.jpg

    English fans clearly outnumbered Americans
    http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4694893559_51692e70ea.jpg

    South Africa is a wonderfully diverse country. You can find everything from ballets and symphonies to Zulu dances to Indian Bollywood-type musicals. Truly S Africa is a rainbow nation, as Mandela said.

    If you’re a single guy, well, let’s just say that you would have a great time visiting here!

    The best part of the US/England game was singing the Star Spangled Banner before the game, after God Save the Queen. I never felt more pride about being an American than that moment. I couldn’t help but think of the huge flag in the Smithsomian that inspired Francis Scott Key to write those words, and that we Americans would all sing them in Southern Africa. I got choked up.

    The vuvuzelas aren’t as loud as some are claiming.

    Spain and Brazil haven’t played yet and they’re expected to be among the strongest. Germany looks strong. Argentina won but they’re a weak team compared to prior teams. This year, I would say that the US has as good a chance at winning this thing as anybody. The rest of the world’s game has improved to challenge the traditionally strong powers like Argentina and Italy. It’s like March Madness, any team can end up a winner.

    For the naysayers complaining about boredom, well, go watch the Nationals play (talk about dull).

    I love being here. More later.

  18. Starryflights

    June 14, 2010
    By the Horns
    Posted by John Cassidy

    Four days in, and South Africa 2010 is shaping up as a great international event, and maybe even an exciting soccer tournament. Which is good news because, contrary to all the hype you may have read from commentators who discovered soccer yesterday, or the day before, there hasn’t been a truly thrilling World Cup since Mexico 1986, when Diego Maradona dribbled and hand-balled Argentina to triumph.

    Italy 1990 was a low-scoring and bad-tempered affair, notable mainly for Cameroon announcing the arrival of African soccer and almost knocking out England in the quarter finals. U.S.A. 1994 wasn’t much better, and it culminated in the first-ever nil-nil final, between Brazil and Italy. France 1998 was an improvement, but hardly a classic. Japan/Korea 2002 was a well-intentioned failure. And Germany 2006 fit squarely into the modern pattern of low goal counts and few thrills.

    Maybe the deafening refrain of vuvuzela soccer horns can summon up more goalmouth incident and dramatic moments. When I first heard them blaring, I was a bit put off, but once my wife and mother-in-law complained about them I became a big fan. Even when the action is dull, they make it sound as if something significant is happening. Sometimes, it is. So far, the horns have accompanied a thumping opening goal from South Africa’s Siphiwe Tshabalala, a slash-your-wrists goalkeeper’s error from England’s Robert Green, and a German demolition of Australia that resembled nothing so much as a Panzer division blazing through the Low Countries.

    Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sportingscene/2010/06/world-cup-cassidy.html?title=By+the+Horns&type=blog&text=Greetings+from+an+American+S+AFrica.++It+has+been+an+extraordinary+experience%21&submit.x=49&submit.y=12#ixzz0qttUmurd

  19. Starry,you are making me feel like I have a ring side street. Thanks for reporting and for forcing me in to a thread. I don’t know much about soccer past kids’ soccer.

    I have been meaning to ask…have you been secretly torturing Mrs. Starry and Mother of Mrs. Starry?

    Have you seen any of the violence we read about associated with soccer in other countries?

    VEry neat about the National Anthem!!! I am also impressed that you can since it. If I tried to do that, I would empty the stadium.

  20. One more thing, Starry, you took those pics yourself, didn’t you?

    Very neat!!!

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