The Miracle of Bern Directed by Sönke Wortmann Soda Pictures, 2003, £7 Sönke Wortmann’s The Miracle of Bern is a decade old now but its telling of the story of West Germany’s 1954 World Cup victory has begun to enjoy greater relevance given the current Nationalmannschaft’s increased popularity both at home and abroad. Phenomenally popular on its release, the movie recreated a crucial moment in modern German history – a nation cowed by the horrors of the Nazi regime had, until then, scarcely cared to thrust its head above the parapet of the world stage while huge swathes of its…
All posts tagged World Cup
Cry God for Dave, William and Saint Becks!
With a day to go before England discovers whether or not it will be hosting a major tournament in 2018, my fellow Unfortunate Stanley and myself took time out to consider the pros and cons of the World Cup bid over the transatlantic airwaves. Here is the result of our ruminations in the style of a less than Socratic dialogue:Lanterne Rouge: So Stanley, tomorrow sees the occasion of the big decision. Despite the patriotic hullaballoo, I should confess to having reservations about England’s involvement in the whole process but, I should say first of all, that I am probably marginally…
The Monday Profile: Jonás Gutiérrez
Saturday’s trouncing by England’s conquerors Germany brought to an abrupt and embarrassing end Argentina’s involvement in the 2010 World Cup - and with it the exit of another player with Championship connections. In truth, though, Jonás Gutiérrez was never an integral part of the South Americans’ side, despite Maradona’s past insistence that our man’s always one of the first names on his teamsheet.Sure, he was in the starting XI for the opening two group fixtures, against Nigeria and South Korea, but in an unfamiliar right-back position in which he was left exposed, particularly thanks to the Argentinians’ narrow midfield. Suspended…
The Monday Profile: Gonzalo Jara
“Chile defender Gonzalo Jara will be familiar to fans of West Bromwich Albion, after helping them win promotion to the Premier League last season.”It’s a home banker for your World Cup bingo cards tonight, when La Roja face Brazil in the round of 16. Commentators panicking about researching players based at ‘unknown’ clubs like Udinese heave a sigh of relief when they spot an English team on the squad sheet, and after a quick glance at said team’s position in the league table last term, settle for a throwaway generalisation before moving on to talk about stars from the Champions…
The Thursday Preview: Germany Vs England
David James is the one Coca Cola Championshipper due to play a part in Sunday’s apocalyptic clash, so a preview of the game suggesting that Mesut Özil is the new Zidane and extolling the virtues of ex-Reading loanee Matthew Upson is probably surplus to requirements here. Hence, and more in the spirit of a blog than a website, I have decided to share my own memories of the fixture’s history.With only a vague recall of a 2-1 friendly defeat in the run up to the Argentina World Cup, my solidest memory of all is of a game I actually attended…
John Mc: Ah - so therein lies the point. You can justify your booing because it...
