Thursday, May 24, 2007

The Dark Arts of Filippo Inzaghi - byebyebadman

Whilst on the phone late on Wednesday night I mentally trawled through the vault of football clichés to find one that offered hope and comfort, but none seemed apt. Rays of sunshine rarely peek out of such generic quotes. My Liverpool supporting friend on the line was understandably devastated, though like many of the players in red gracious enough to concede that his team were beaten by a group of exceptionally talented Milan players. There was one though, the obvious one, to whom he could not extend any goodwill.

“That f*cking Inzaghi.” he moaned. “A deflection and a f*cking tap-in. Sums him up.”

I knew how he felt. As a Manchester United fan (which incidentally wasn’t helping the consolation process any) I watched in horror eight years ago as we went two-nil down inside ten minutes in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Stadio della Alpi. Filippo Inzaghi supplied the first by tapping in a Zidane corner from inches out and minutes later his tame shot took a freak deflection off Jaap Stam to loop over Schmeichel and increase Juventus’ lead. Annoyingly, he wheeled away in triumph at this absolute fluke like he’d just scored a goal worthy of Maradona in his pomp.

And I felt that same gnawing contempt my friend later would towards this man, this anti-footballer, for what he had done. His critics, and they are legion, can compile a veritable shopping list of faults in his game – he has no real pace, a mediocre first touch, his passing is erratic, he doesn’t tackle, he gets caught offside all the time, he offers nothing in terms of build-up play and he’s not very good in the air. He seems totally detached from the game until the ball arrives in the penalty area, at which point it will invariably drop to his feet and he will score a simple goal, like the irritating kid on the school yard used to, the kid they called the goal-hanger.

In the low-scoring game of football just scoring goals is not a bad ability to possess, and Inzaghi has done that with startling frequency during his career. Since his breakthrough season with Atalanta ten years ago he has scored one hundred and twenty-seven goals in Serie A, fifty-eight goals in European club competitions and twenty three goals in fifty-three internationals for Italy. He has winners medals for the World Cup, the Champions League and the Serie A title, which makes his record at first glance seem like that of one of the great strikers of his era. And yet for his utter ineffectiveness away from the six-yard box he continues to attract derision and scorn, and move the likes of the great Johann Cruyff to remark “Look, actually he can't play football at all. He's just always in the right position.”

And within that snide comment I believe lies the key to Inzaghi. Football is a game for athletes, for those who possess speed, skill and strength, but it can also be a game for thinkers. Being in the right position as often as Inzaghi manages it is not luck but intuition, a vivid reading of the intentions of other players and of situations that alter by the nanosecond. We laugh at him for being offside nine times out of ten but he is waiting for that one moment where he times his run perfectly and is clean through, alone in that vast green expanse with only the goalkeeper (often the only man on the pitch less technically accomplished than Pippo) to beat. That’s what he did on Wednesday for the second goal, and when his moment arrived he finished with the composure of a man who had, both mentally and physically, been in that situation a thousand times before. A player of this ilk is a selfless indulgence for coaches and teammates alike, yet one that clubs of the stature of Milan and Juventus have been more than happy to oblige.

Now thirty-three years old Inzaghi will probably not get credit for anything he has achieved either in the remaining few years of his career or any time soon after. Eventually though, and as with all players, his years as a footballer will be summarised in a highlights reel of his famous moments, a table of his appearances and goals and a list of his medals and honours. Considering his abilities, or lack thereof, it will be a remarkable CV.

89 comments:

Frankie Morgan said...

He's rubbish.

Seriously, it's not just that he dives, cheats, moans to the ref, is always offside and scores the jammiest shittest goals you've ever seen. It's that he isn't very good at football, yet makes a fortune from it and gets to parade around like he's the king of the world.

Note that I'm not saying "I don't rate him" because I honestly don't think there's an argument. Just watch him - he's f'ing useless.

He's made a deal with the Devil, I'm telling you.

Anonymous said...

byebye: a remarkable and quite cool, under the circs - even tho you're not a red - analysis of a man who does not deserve to earn a living playing the game.

Anonymous said...

byebye,
if he pisses off the Wee Frees branch
of LFC this much, we'd better hope Lord Wrigley signs him soon.

Anonymous said...

You know, after all these years I think I've finally come to like him.

Last night was the Inzaghi final. If you wanted to sum up his career in 90 minutes, that game was it. You could not wish to see two more typical Inzaghi goals. The performance could only have been improved by his being caught offside a bit more often.

As badman says, in what is a very fine piece of writing, he does it so often it cannot be luck. And the way he celebrates every single goal with the same level of incredulity at his own brilliance only adds to his appeal. He's great.

byebyebadman said...

andrewm, mimi please understand I'm not bigging him up. I would not pay to watch him, nor would I want him playing for my team. I think he's terrible and a nightmare to play with - when Juventus played at OT in the late nineties Zidane was literally tearing what was left of his hair out, so many times did their moves break down due to his folly. And yet he scored three goals in four games against us. Mystifying.

He is not really a footballer as we think of one, he's just very good at one thing. How many midfielders just get by on pure box to box stamina? Why aren't technique and skill a basic requirement as well?

I think Inzaghi is probably hated in England more than anywhere else, it would be interesting to hear how he is viewed in Italy if anyone knows? I don't think our football culture would tolerate him...yet we all seem to love Makalele, who does nothing but roam around the centre-circle, read interceptions, make the odd tackle and lay it off immediately. So good they named a 'role' after him.

Anonymous said...

greengrass: do you really know anything about the Wee Frees? No playing of games on a Sunday, not even card games, not allowed to have any fun at all. They are a stern and un-funning bunch. But interested to hear your thoughts.

Rooto said...

There's no soul-selling going on here, he's just managed to boil football down to the absolute minimum. No frills. I score, and eff-all else. It was Jimmy Greaves who invented that, but Inzaghi has distilled the essence of Greavesie.
(Ugh!)

He's the first modernist footballer.

(Post-modernist would be a player that does all the clever stuff with no end product - there are plenty of those around!)

guitougoal said...

byebye,
good point however zigzaghi is above all a lucky boy. The first goal was a crapshot, as for the second kaka gave him a nice ball and yes zigzaghi had to dribble reina but that's part of most center forward's potential.
To play with kaka as a support it's a blessing, and do not forget pipo spent most of the season on the bench because he is only milan's 3rd choice at the center.
like trezeguet he belongs to a category of players who can steal a goal now and then....nothing to brag about.

Anonymous said...

I know a little, Mimi. A good friend from Glasgow - a Partick Thistle fan - has filled in some of the gaps in my knowledge of Scots and Scotland.

Just banter - thought it might make you and Andy laugh. If the opposite was the case, apologies!

Anonymous said...

greengrass: no need to apologise on my behalf. i find the excesses of the Wee Frees laughable as I do most so-called religious cults. Just wondered if you knew their ridiculous beliefs.

pipita said...

Byebye
Nice article, youve raised a series of interesting points here. I also detest Pipo Inzaghi for the same reasons most people have here expressed. Few times have I seen such an effective goal-poacher however. But, having said this, he's no Gerd Muller the king of the goal-poachers, who added to this attribute an intelligence and inventiveness that pipo clearly does not posses. Yesterday, for obvious reasons,I kept thinking about poor ol Hernan Crespo, a much more classier foward -at least Im sure andym will agree with this-, who played the first half of his life two years ago in Istambul scoring two wonderful goals, and everything to perfection but received no reward. Its just not fair......

Anonymous said...

byebyebadman - I can't stand Inzaghi and think you've summed up all the reasons to despise him with a lot of style (with pretty admirable help from Andrew M there too). I don't care if he has a zillion medals and a 23" plonker, he'll always be a wanker to me (PI, not Andrew...).

The only thing almost in his favour is that he always looks unhappy. In theory that makes him slightly more bearable, though still unbearable, if that makes sense.

ericverschoor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ericverschoor said...

Have people noted that Pippo has excelled in two of arguably the biggest clubs in the world when compared with those that play in their same league?

Can you imagine how deep a smaller team sits in Italy when they play against Juventus or Milan?

He feels like a fish in the water with dozens of legs, bodies and arms, around him. Give him space...and much of his efectiveness fades away. In the second goal, Liverpools defense was way too deep. If you place the defence nearer to half way than to your own box, he usually gets caught offside. Rafa should have known that.

Another thing that surprises me is that he seems never to age. His work rate in training must be admirable. He never looked overweight or sluggish, something that many other goalscorers do, as they cross the 30 year old mark. His reflexes in a box are even better that many a goalkeeper.

Id definitively would want him in my team.

I am sure pipita, marcela and paulita remember Toti Iglesias. Boca's own Alfredo Graziani was similar too.

Great read byebye!

Anonymous said...

Dreetings all.

I sniffed a need to protect a sacred name of Super Pippo!!

He is an artist as much as maradona was in what he achieved with his skills and attributes.

As someone mentioned on here, those 2 goals and the one that went through his legs sums up pippo in an instant.

I would have him in my side anyday. What he has, cannot be taught.

A true goalscoring record.

Inzaghi would score a hatful for arsenal and reduce all that fluency by at least 70%

Wont be pretty, but feel the results. In anycase he has movement only 2nd to crespo and probably deadlier. And thats saying something.

Zidane never had to trouble himself pulling his hair out. He knew and understood what pippo lived for and fed the goat.

Its no coincidence that zidane upped his own club goalscoring tally the moment he left Juve and pippo.

FORZA SUPER PIPPO!!

Anonymous said...

That should of course say Speaktruth :)

Anonymous said...

Inzaghi is an insult to aesthetics.


spwktruth, are you Welsh now?

byebyebadman said...

Pipita - that is football all over though isn't it, you can play the game of your life yet see it go unrewarded due to the actions of some combination of the other 21 players that you are powerless to stop.

It is amazing the visceral emotions Inzaghi brings out in some fans! I don't rate him as a player, but he's alright by me. He's made the most out of an incredibly average set of abilities - in other walks of life that makes you a hero.

pipita said...

Speaktruth
Always a pleasure to encounter you on this website. A turly admirable defense of the ghastly Pippo, must confess
Eric
Toti Iglesias was far better at celebrating goals than Pipo I can assure that

Anonymous said...

I am indeed offside.

Just for the evening :)

Pipita

How the devil are you??

I am of course a HUGE HUGE pippo inzaghi fan.

I wont hear a bad word and I dissagree that he has average set of abilities. No one has the nose for stalking the penalty area like pippo.

Unlike Crespo, Batigol etc Pippo has neither a good shot and header in him.

His timing however, is unparalled.

Not all players are noted for their footballing ability. Look at Gattusso, he will never deceive you with a good pass. Yet he is revered in these parts.

DoctorShoot said...

coolheaded piece bybebye... and reasoned beyond doubt.
only the unresonable anger of the offended can remain unassuaged surely.

it seems all codes have their share of loafing luck riders short on most of the skills other than being in the right spot at the right time (having lulled their defender into laziness by seeming to be an easybeat), and pulling every dive, bleat, and shonky trick to further edge the advantage their way.
only those with a goalsneak or pickpocket on their team can laugh...

Anonymous said...

byebye (fine piece of writing, by the way),

visceral emotions is right, every time I see the corners of his mouth go down because the ref didn't award him 9.5 artistic merit for his latest dive, first of all I wonder how low they can go, then I get this irrepressible urge to slap him hard in the face, preferably with something large, wet and slimy like a south pacific tuna fish or greengrass walking home in the rain from the tavern after a session with Ingrid.

He's the ultimate football villain (He's behind you! In the six-yard box! Oh no!) and I suppose these are good to have around. They add, well, visceral emotions (bleargh, puke!).

Of course, that's all in my mind. If I met him in real life, I'd probably just stare in disbelief.

Anonymous said...

I was rather surprised to hear of all this vitriol towards Inzaghi - quite something to be in the same place as Berlusconi and be the more villified man!

Was it Brian Clough who said putting the ball in the net is the most difficult skill in the game?

I see parallels with Crespo, but the player of whom he most reminds me is Tony Cottee. At West Ham, he scored lots of goals - he didn't score as many at Everton, but he still scored quite a few. He was too small to head the ball, too slow to play on the last defender, too technically limited to play in the hole and yet... he did well, just by being there when the ball was around.

Helps that he appears to be a thoroughly decent bloke though.

Anonymous said...

Forgot to say - Good One, Bad Man.

Anonymous said...

Offside: did you try to sneak in a snide insult to the people of Wales there a bit earlier?

Anonymous said...

Yeah! Nice piece byebyebadman.

(now I have read it fully :)

I could have put any of that better.

Here's to Super Pippo!!

Anonymous said...

Of course I meant:

I could have not put that any better myself.

hello mimi.

Anonymous said...

Mimi, I would never dare. It was speaktruth who was trying to give the Welsh a bad name by spelling his name spwktruth (as if that was a likely typo, I mean, look at your keyboard) while attempting to defend the indefensible.

Anonymous said...

heh!heh!

funny but true.

My keyboards doing funny things.

I could be typing away and not looking at screen then when I look up the cursor has moved from where

I thought it was and then dispensing my wisdom in another unrelated paragraph.

Its playing havoc with my communication. and it appears by error I have agreed to adopt a chinese monkey :)

Anonymous said...

spookytruth,

you mean that thing on you back is chinese? Looks Italian to me...

DoctorShoot said...

...and small pickpockets make great managers...
put ball in barnet lad...

Anonymous said...

offside

the thing on my back is an albatross :)

And it aint italian either :)

DoctorShoot said...

i realise it is off topic irreverence to repost out of the taproom where the party broke up after athens dimmed the lights, but seems appropriate right here...
so with apologies and remembering some monkeys do ave em...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFeTnFzogCU

Anonymous said...

Well, Doc, if you are going to play that "music" here, I'm going back to the taproom.

Come on, speaktruth, I'll buy you a pint of off-topic.

DoctorShoot said...

offside...
I did apologise in advance and anyhow had to pay you back for putting the chainsaw through the last jukebox....

Anonymous said...

And bring that albatross of yours, I'm sure we can find a recipe for it.

Anonymous said...

I'd never looked this up, till now.

Here's Super Pippo on youtube:

Just admire the movement and the goals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnXuf8MDvlE&mode=related&search=

And more interestingly, is a carbon copy of wednesdays freekick deflected goal. Confirming my suspicion that this is part of his armoury.

Free kick goal towards the end of this clip

check it out.

Anonymous said...

WATCH him? Ugh.

Anonymous said...

I swear 2 ya offy

Its poetry in motion.

byebyebadman said...

It appears I accidentally deleted one of my posts of this thread, and I can't remember what was in it. Rats.

motm - interesting comparison with Cottee...I remember his transfer to Everton for the then blockbusting fee of 2 million pounds, didn't he nab a hat-trick on his debut?

Thanks for the various kind comments about the piece, I feel like the YTS trainee who has just come through his first-team debut unscathed!

byebyebadman said...

YTS Trainee...me and my anglicised thinking, this is the internet for pity's sake. I meant youth team player!

iddy said...

In Simon Cowells words ‘distinctly average’. I am not bitter, fair play to him, he has etched his name in Milan’s great history. Yet I am not a fan of his footballing skills, the ITV panel describe him as a predator but other than the goals, I really can’t remember his contribution to the final. Andrewm I am sure you enjoyed him taking a shot in the unmentionables from Harry Kewell.

Anonymous said...

speaktruth,

he's just a player I love to hate, so please don't take that away from me.

In French, we say defenders have to watch him "comme le lait sur le feu" (like milk on the boil), in other words keep an eye on him AT ALL TIMES.

French 101 Trivia: the word for "goalhanger" is "une carotte". I don't know where that comes from but I'm sure file and his bunny will be interested. Any other expressions in English?

Anonymous said...

Offside

Tap-in merchant

Goal hanger

scrawnny bastard

Are a few choice words used in england to describe his gifts.

I accept he may not be everyone's cup of Tea.

In business equivalents, he is the difference between 100 committee meetings and a decision.

The act of putting the ball in the net is arguably one of the hardest tasks in football.

Anonymous said...

"Sniffer" was the man - Allan Clarke, the consumate poacher. A joy to behold, or a jammy bastard - depending on whether he was playing for your lot or not.

He used up so little energy in the six-yard box, he was able to become a world-famous pop star in his spare time, singing with The Hollies.

I probably won't be around for some time - I'll be in hospital, having an Inzaghi removed from my backside; someone used me to bludgeon him when I was on my way home from the taproom last night. If they'd asked me to breathe on him, I'd have been happy to oblige - that would have done for him.

Mimi: is "Inzaghi" Welsh for "piles"? I somehow have that feeling...

Anonymous said...

Allan Clark? Gigi, I wish you'd give post-war examples so that us from the younger generation could follow.

Anonymous said...

GG - Good luck with the op.

Allan Clark? He was annoying and had the most irritating look on his face when he scored.

His brother Wayne scored vital goals for Everton including a sweet one at Stamford Bridge twenty years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday (and the walk out of the ground!)

Unknown said...

I've always had a soft-spot for players with little technical ability who make up for it with their brains (as a player with little technical ability myself, it is my only hope to be half-way decent). But I hate the idea it's "intuition", or players "sniffing" out goals.

Because it's not.

It's just that a lot of players simply don't understand or read the game to their level. The sort of skill Pipo (and Linaker, and Crespo, and Owen and others) have/had is based on intelligence, study, and these combining to make the movement sooner thanks to experience.

If you listen to Linaker or Owen talk about it (and I've never heard Pipo or Crespo in the subject), it's like a craft or a skill they work on.

You will also notice that none of these players are that emotional about the way they play. Ice in the veins, or the ability to shut off that aspect and just play the situation.

"I saw the ball coming in, knew realised the defender was getting there first but couldn't control it from that angle, so pulled off to where the ball was likely to rebound to." Michael Owen 1. Brazil, Lucio, Dida, and others 0. We lost that one, but Owen has scored in Every Single Knock-out game he has Ever Played for England.

Players that move away from the ball are rare, and a lot of pundits and other players don't understand this, or the thought that goes into it. So they call it "intuition," or say it was "telepathic".

It's not, it's just that the 20 other times Owen/Pipo made that run the ball didn't come and that was all you were watching you commentating idiot.

It's definitely a skill, Pipo has that. But his lack of other skills (i.e. an elegant touch, perceptive passes) mean he will not be remembered as a great as his goals don't look pretty enough.

Anonymous said...

Ebren,

nice one, and I agree with a lot of it.

But also:

A lot of the brain functions are actually "below the surface" (don't want to get into specifics here, as I'm no neurosurgeon myself). And particularly in split-second situations, these guys are unlikely to go into the kind of thought processes you describe. So I think it would be fair to say that the great goalscorers, like good musicians, also rely on "feeling".

Unknown said...

Offy, I agree - which was why I brought in the experience comment.

But they do think like that. I was quoting Owen there. Not projecting what I thought he thought. He actually said that about his goal against Brazil in 2002.

But I agree that a lot of it is embedded in the sub-conscious after a while.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the brain works quickly sometimes. Or so I'm told.

But on the first goal, Inzaghi never knew what hit him.

Anonymous said...

Ebren - Ian Rush was just superb at the kind of football intelligence you describe. Over and over again, I would say to my father, "But what is he doing there?" as the ball would find him unmarked in the area. He was a fine player too, but that was his greatest talent.

Teddy Sheringham had it, which is why he was able to find space in the hole and the much maligned John Aldridge (nearly 500 goals!) had an uncanny ability to get to the ball and get it into the net.

I can't think of many contemporary players like this who weren't playing 8 or more years ago - is the greater athleticism / new offside rules squeezing them out?

I like these players so much more than the strutting monarchs of midfield who demand that others fetch and carry for them - so I'd have an Inzaghi or an Aldridge or an Owen before I'd have a Riquelme, a Hoddle or a Veron. Minority view, I know.

byebyebadman said...

Does anyone remember Frank Lampards goal against Wales a few years back? It took a massive and crucial deflection of Michael Owen's heel but was still credited to Lampard, wonder why then Pirlo can't claim the first goal?

I do think it's intuition Ebren, as it implies a certain amount of perception and forethought that gives him a greater understanding and reading of the game than those around him.

file said...

spooky stuff badman and you've inspired another t-shirt design

Anonymous said...

Isn't the rule in Italy that the last man to touch the ball is credited with the goal?

Frankie Morgan said...

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong - almost all of you are wrong.

You look, but you don't see.

He. Is. Useless. At. Football.

I'm amazed how many people enjoy wandering around this site being wrong about things.

Anonymous said...

Mouth -
he probably scored more than most, seeing as how he was lead singer in The Hollies.

Wayne? That will be the one he kept singing about - "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother".

Anonymous said...

I think it was Graeme Sharp who remarked of Wayne Clark, "But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him..."

Frankie Morgan said...

speaktruth, if you're around - who was right about Curbs, eh? Eh?

Was it me, by any chance? Was it? Was it?

I think it was.

Maybe in future you'll respect my authority.

byebyebadman said...

motm - I thought that was the case in England as well, but as its a game under UEFA's control I think they have some kind of panel to sort this out, similarly with Lampard's goal in the World Cup qualfiers.

andrewm - I'd say his technical skills with the ball are very ordinary. There is an apocryphal tale of other players laughing at his technique in his first training session with the Italian National side.

But I also think you can separate that from his movement, reactions and awareness of space, which are excellent. It'd be impossible to calculate a percentage, but an awful lot of football is played without the ball.

Frankie Morgan said...

Yeah, but he's rubbish.

pipita said...

Motm, greengrass et al
Mentioned sniffer Clarke in Iddy's thread as having been my first footballing hero. However, developed a hatred toward him later on. Especially detested the arrogant way he celebrated his goals: he used to casually raise his right arm putting on a rotten eggs expression.
Wayne Clarke I can only credit for his goal against liverpool in 88 that avoided them from equalling Leeds's record of unbeaten matches. Tony Cottee did okay at Everton but I somewhat arbitrarily associate him with the beginning of the decine of the great mid 80's team. Saw him score a many times live however

pipita said...

Ebren
Glad you mentioed the great Gary Lineker, my all time Everton favorite striker. A mixture of Bati and Crespo. Have never actually heard the latter speak about playing as an attacker, but its obvious he gives a lot of thought to every single movement he makes
GG
The Hollies!!!Bloody hell, always get them mixed up with that other liverpool washed out band, The Tremlones and also with the even more tacky New Seekers
MOTM
I always liked those second rate, but extermely useful strikers, such as Brian Kidd, Aldridge, Adrian Heath and Sharpie

Anonymous said...

pipita: the hollies - not fog on the mersey, fog on the tyne. different cities.

Anonymous said...

So, in conclusion, Inzaghi is a hemmorhoid peeping out of the Arse of Football?

Bleeding useless?

My favorite posts on here are andrew's, don't recall him being so adamant about anything ever!

pipita said...

Mimi
From Tyne??What, Newcastle?? I was convinced The Hollies were a liverpudlean band
Duncan
Yeag, agree I dont recall andym so enraged either

Anonymous said...

pipita: you are so right to question me. I was getting confused between those Manchester lads of the Hollies and Alan Price. Aargh. I have a severely reduced memory these days, and Hollies/Animals - what's the difference? Best of course of Alan Price was his performance in Oh Lucky Man - one of the best films ever made.
Oh perhaps I have found something for Zeph's new corner.

Anonymous said...

Sorry all to pause this for a re-wind.

Andrewm

I challenge you to a full on debate about who is right about Alan Curbishley.

That team stayed up inspite of Alan Curbishley and next season will prove his worth as a terrible manager for a premiership club.

End!

(carry on:)

Anonymous said...

andrew's posts are very good here. I know how he feels, because I felt like that about Mark Hughes as a player and Mark Ward too.

Anonymous said...

I don't rate Curbs any more, but he came in with a job to do and did it and, for that, respect is due!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Mouth. You didn't think you'd get away with it here, did you?
We are all seeing, all knowing in Ebren's secret corner of the world.

Unknown said...

if you have a friend on whom you think you can rely you are a lucky man

if you have a reason to live on and not to die you are a lucky man

teachers and preachers and poets don't know it

statues and temples and steeples won't show it

if you have the secret just try not to blow it...

...

stay a lucky man!!

Frankie Morgan said...

Mouth, many happy returns.

ST, I was only kidding you. Or was I?

Unknown said...

oops. sorry. got swept away there.
mimi. i don't know many people who love that film as much as i do :)
in fact, i don't even know many people who've seen it at all. aaahhh

however. I just read this piece (terrific) and the commenta and couldn't resist posting to say it's most thoroughly brilliant football talk proper and at its best.

i would love to read the full version of the sequel: curbs - is he shite?

and duncan, pipita, mouth and others stunned by andrew's feisty conviction, if you haven't already done so, you should check out andrew's immediate reaction to the final. his post is superb and from the heart. on the pakalolo tavern thread.

Unknown said...

oh, yeah: happy birthday, birthday boy!!

Anonymous said...

As Marcela: if ever there was one to rely on ...
Might have guessed you would be the one.
Were you around when Lindsay Anderson came and directed The Seagull at The Playhouse?

Anonymous said...

That should have been, Ah Marcela. Not as.
Sorry.

Anonymous said...

I'm only kidding ya too MrM

I care little for curbs.

Greetings all and happy birthday Motm.

(its something when bloggers birthdays are celebrated)

Anonymous said...

Marcela: Oh Lucky Man is one of the greatest films ever made. If is pretty good too. Help, I do feel an piece coming on for Zeph's new place of non-sports writing.

Anonymous said...

* Lights go out - Frenchman comes in carrying three-tier black forest cake with inderterminate number of candles - sings *

Joyeux anniversaire, Joyeux anniversaire, Joyeux aaaaanniversaire, Mouth, Joyeux anniversaaaaire!

Unknown said...

what? at the playhouse? nobody told me! when was that then?

i like if and the other one... but o lucky man is head and shoulders above.

i guess, whatever inzaaaggghhi is, he's definitely lucky.

Anonymous said...

Not sure what year, Marcela, but I was behind the bar at Raouls so guess you'd have been around. It was when De Niro came and taught at the drama summer school, and when I wore long dresses, high-heeled shoes and elegant elbow length silk gloves to go to the ball!

Anonymous said...

marcela - no not surprised by andrew at all, he can be firm, but his posts here are also very funny, i think. thanks for tip, i'd like to read his reaction t'final.

mimi - long dresses, gloves, heels, eh...y'never said..?

byebyebadman said...

Mimi/Marcela - the same director I believe was also behind This sporting Life. Oh Lucky Man is a top film.

Happy birthday Mouth, and many more.

You WORKED in Raouls mimi? Blimey...you'd do well to top the white russian they made me tonight!

pipita said...

Mouthy
Feliz cumpleaños!!!!Aguante Everton!!!
Andym
What would be your reaction if Pippo were to join Liverpool???Im surprised no one's made reference here to Pipo's bother simone. Speaktruth and Paulita had quite a debate about him, but nothing over here

Frankie Morgan said...

pipita, the effect Liverpool FC can have on a person is truly staggering, that's all I'll say.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the birthday wishes - they aren't quite as exciting now I'm er... 28 (ish).

A little addendum to the Oh Lucky Man theme - my first OBO e-mail at GU referred to Lindsay Anderson.

Anonymous said...

enlighten us do, mouth, as to how you would ref the great Lindsay on an OBO? I am truly intrigued.

Anonymous said...

The Hollies were from Salford.

Salford is next to Manchester - the two are like one big city.

A lass I knew, Stella Marie, was in the same class as the sister or brother of one or the other of them.

Tweet it, digg it