Most disgraceful sporting performances.....

[nibbs]

England v Australia, rugby union World Cup final 2003 - the referee. If that wasn't a disgraceful sporting performance (very sporting to give the convicts a chance instead of them being beaten comfortably) I don't know what is.

tbh, it was a disgrace that Australia were there in the first place.

 

[BoyBrumby]

No - the Florists lost har har har.

Scum buckets.

Whaaat? A Derby fan hating Forest?! Well, I never did!

 

[steds]

the French rugby captain's elbowing of Brendan Cannon last week was pretty poor

He was in most likelihood only trying to liven the game up.

 

[luckyeddie]

Whaaat? A Derby fan hating Forest?! Well, I never did!

It's hardly worth the effort nowadays, seeing as though there's about 3 people from Snottingham actually supporting them. Now back in the seventies, there was some seriously good Florist-hating.

 

[steds]

There's only about 3 people in Manchester who support Manure. Doesn't stop us from hating them.

 

[Slats4ever]

here's one for kurt and the kiwi's...

The Kiwi's losing to the French in the World Cup Semi Final a few years ago

 

[aussie]

top 3:

Maradona's hand of god goal
The Mike tyson bitting incident
France's performance in the last World Cup

 

[Neil Pickup]

top 3:

Maradona's hand of god goal
The Mike tyson bitting incident
France's performance in the last World Cup

There's a difference between disgraceful and plain crap.

The first two are the former, the third the latter.

 

[marc71178]

Well that shows that the rating system is a bit flawed then (a bit like the ICC ones in cricket which repeatedly claimed that SA were better than Australia until recently).

Or maybe it shows that Henman wasn't as bad as people make out (the same people who seem to think that Tennis only happens for 2 weeks out of 52)

 

[marc71178]

I don't know for a fact, but I'd be surprised if Henman wasn't ranked 7 or 8 (or maybe higher) at least once in his career.

Not just once, but pretty consistently for a few years.

 

[Buddhmaster]

top 3:

Maradona's hand of god goal
The Mike tyson bitting incident
France's performance in the last World Cup

What did Maradona do?

 

[KennyD]

australia turning into pseudo asians, just because they can't qualify for the soccer world cup via oceania. probably the most gutless effort, from a bunch of gutless cowards, in recent times...

Hey, I think its fair enough...

^_^ peace?

 

[KennyD]

England v Australia, rugby union World Cup final 2003 - the referee. If that wasn't a disgraceful sporting performance (very sporting to give the convicts a chance instead of them being beaten comfortably) I don't know what is.

If you were so superior to us, you would have beaten us comfortably, referee or no referee.

Just be glad you won. No need to be so incredibly arrogant now. Are you an international referee? Are you even a level 1 referee? If you are, great, but the arrogant comment still stands. If you arent I dont believe you or anyothers without referee experience can comment and expect others to listen.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Or maybe it shows that Henman wasn't as bad as people make out (the same people who seem to think that Tennis only happens for 2 weeks out of 52)

So go on then, what exactly did Henman do in any major tournament?

 

[BoyBrumby]

What did Maradona do?

This:

But he did end up like this:

As my old man used to say: "God doesn't pay his debts with money!"

 

[Scaly piscine]

If you were so superior to us, you would have beaten us comfortably, referee or no referee.

Just be glad you won. No need to be so incredibly arrogant now. Are you an international referee? Are you even a level 1 referee? If you are, great, but the arrogant comment still stands. If you arent I dont believe you or anyothers without referee experience can comment and expect others to listen.

That's a pretty awful argument - you don't need to be a weatherman to know it's raining.

As for the influence the referee had, England would have won comfortably if he'd been competent. England would have kept piling the pressure on and getting points. Instead the referee was penalising the wrong side, giving possession and field position to a side that couldn't earn it otherwise and gave them a break from being worn down. The effect is huge, 3 points (or more) to England or a line-out near England's 22. This happened repeatedly.

 

[marc71178]

So go on then, what exactly did Henman do in any major tournament?

Singles Record:
458 - 242

Singles Titles:
11
Double Titles:
4
Prize Money:
$11,051,612

SINGLES CAREER TITLES (11): 1997--Sydney Outdoor, Tashkent; 1998--Basel, Tashkent; 2000--Brighton, Vienna; 2001--Basel, Copenhagen; 2002--Adelaide; 2003--Paris TMS, Washington FINALIST (16): 1997--Antwerp, Doha; 1998--Los Angeles, Sydney Outdoor; 1999--Basel, Doha, London / Queen's Club, Rotterdam; 2000--Cincinnati, Rotterdam, Scottsdale; 2001--London / Queen's Club; 2002--Indian Wells TMS, London / Queen's Club, Rotterdam; 2004--Indian Wells AMS

In the top 25 consistently from October 1996 through to recently.

 

[luckyeddie]

So go on then, what exactly did Henman do in any major tournament?

Four Wimbledon semi-finals and one French Open semi (2004).

The last British man to go further at Wimbledon was Fred Perry in 1936 (Perry won it 3 times on the trot and was also world table-tennis champion). Between Perry and Henman, only Roger Taylor (I think) made it to the semis at best - and that was in the year of the professional boycott.

In other words, for all Henman's faults, he is still the best we have had in nearly 70 years.

There have been other 'British' players who have got further in other Grand Slam championships (John Lloyd made it to the Australian Open final in 1977, Greg Seal-clubber made it to the US Open final in 1997) but that's your lot.

Over to you, Tom - or you can walk away now.

 

[BoyBrumby]

To give reign to my inner pedant (that little voice that says "I think you'll find..." ) I think you'll find Bunny Austin made a final after FP. 38 IIRC.

Carry on.

 

[Jamee999]

Wiki says:

Henry Wilfred "Bunny" Austin (August 26, 1906 – August 26, 2000) was a British tennis player. As of 2005 he was the last male British tennis player to reach the final of Wimbledon, achieving that in 1932 and 1938. He was also a finalist at the 1938 French Open. Along with Fred Perry, he was a vital part of the British team that won the Davis Cup three times from 1933-35. He is also remembered as the first tennis player to wear shorts.

Jamee says:

Stupid name.