Run Up to the World Cup

[weldone]

Only worth mentioning if you're going to do it naked.

South Mumbai right after 2011 World Cup final was nothing like what I have experienced.

 

[marc71178]

If England wins I shall definitely roam around central London on that night to experience the atmosphere. In my experience, England doesn't have that much passion when it comes to their National Sport. But a World Cup win just may make things very lively again who knows after how many decades.

Clearly didn’t pay much attention last summer then? The national sport isn’t cricket.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

The arrogance of the "it's coming home" crowd was truly unbearable, so glad Croatia put them away in the semis. English fans think their country is still the centre of the world, something that simply isn't true and hasn't been for a long time. I long for the day that Rule Brittania is well and truly consigned to the scrapheap of history

 

[mr_mister]

Catchy song though

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Hearing the line "Britons never will be slaves" being sung in the Caribbean should leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Dark Horse: Afghanistan

 

[NUFAN]

If England wins I shall definitely roam around central London on that night to experience the atmosphere. In my experience, England doesn't have that much passion when it comes to their National Sport. But a World Cup win just may make things very lively again who knows after how many decades.

I was at Trafalgar Square in 05 after England reclaimed the Ashes. That was a pretty great atmosphere.

England New Zealand and India would all be disappointed if they don't make the Semi's, so I'll pick them to be in the final 4. I think a NZ vs India final is on the cards.

 

[Flem274*]

can't wait to see england collapse in a heap in the semis before witnessing someone pump their bowling into next week.

india have got this.

Hearing the line "Britons never will be slaves" being sung in the Caribbean should leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth

it's also inaccurate since the latins carted a few off to rome back in the day

 

[theegyptian]

Lads and ladies ..... It's coming home.

 

[marc71178]

The arrogance of the "it's coming home" crowd was truly unbearable, so glad Croatia put them away in the semis. English fans think their country is still the centre of the world, something that simply isn't true and hasn't been for a long time. I long for the day that Rule Brittania is well and truly consigned to the scrapheap of history

Yet again someone fails to get the joke of “its coming home”.

 

[S.Kennedy]

I thought it was just Swing Low Sweet Chariot that people had a problem with as it is an appropriated (black) gospel song. I've never heard of that particular criticism of Rule Britannia before. It is whiggish: the slavery in question entails foreign occupation (French when it was written) and royal despotism.

 

[stephen]

If you ever want a laugh, read verses two, four and five of Advance Australia Fair (the Australian national anthem). There's a reason we don't sing those three.

 

[S.Kennedy]

If you ever want a laugh, read verses two, four and five of Advance Australia Fair (the Australian national anthem). There's a reason we don't sing those three.

It is still actually very Australian,

When gallant Cook from Albion sailed,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Til he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
"With all her faults we love her still"
"Britannia rules the wave."
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australia fair.

You just had to sneak that line in, didn't you?

 

[stephen]

It is quite amusing how those three verses hail back so strongly to our British heritage and identify us as being British (which we most certainly are not).

I don't think any would deny that Great Britain has faults

 

[marc71178]

I don't think any would deny that Great Britain has faults

Not as many as we had before we shipped them off to the other side of the world. Got rid of the worst ones then.

 

[S.Kennedy]

It is quite amusing how those three verses hail back so strongly to our British heritage and identify us as being British (which we most certainly are not).

I don't think any would deny that Great Britain has faults

But it is a very Australian thing what that old patriotic song does there which I find humorous as it is evident at such an early date in her history. An Australian can be discussing something completely innocuous, say (and this is completely from the top of my head), the price of a pint of milk, and they'll say something like ''well, at least our milk is better than the Poms' milk''. There is a constant imperative to belittle England at every opportunity.

I don't understand when you say ''most certainly are not''. In 1878 when that song was written you almost certainly were of British heritage, unless you are discussing the aborigines who were not even recognised as people constitutionally.

 

[harsh.ag]

Comprehensive work

How can India best use Dhoni in the World Cup? | ESPNcricinfo.com

 

[stephen]

But it is a very Australian thing what that old patriotic song does there which I find humorous as it is evident at such an early date in her history. An Australian can be discussing something completely innocuous, say (and this is completely from the top of my head), the price of a pint of milk, and they'll say something like ''well, at least our milk is better than the Poms' milk''. There is a constant imperative to belittle England at every opportunity.

I don't understand when you say ''most certainly are not''. In 1878 when that song was written you almost certainly were of British heritage, unless you are discussing the aborigines who were not even recognised as people constitutionally.

It's common vernacular over here to say something like "despite your faults we still love ya".

But yeah at the time AAF was written we were still mostly British, though a unique culture was already forming at that time. It was really WWI and Anzac Cove that signed the divorce papers with Britain culturally.

But even before then aboriginal culture had started seeping into white Australian culture. I've been reading up on some Australian history from that era recently and it's quite a fascinating era (and extremely racist). But in a roundabout way I can see why they were so racist - culturally different people groups were so dissimilar at the time and often do isolated from others that the differences between the British and other cultures was much greater then than it is today. It would have been easy to suspect that you were a superior type of person, rather than someone who was simply fortunate to have been born into a particular country.

 

[mr_mister]

Comprehensive work

How can India best use Dhoni in the World Cup? | ESPNcricinfo.com

They can best use him in a non playing advisory role.

 

[ankitj]

Record against top 8 teams since last world cup. Afghanistan FTW.

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	W/L
England	74	48	21	1	4	2.285
India	69	45	22	1	1	2.045
Afghanistan	8	4	2	1	1	2
South Africa	61	36	24	0	1	1.5
New Zealand	62	32	27	0	3	1.185
Pakistan	52	23	28	0	1	0.821
Bangladesh	43	18	23	0	2	0.782
Australia	65	27	36	0	2	0.75
Sri Lanka	61	13	44	1	3	0.295
West Indies	44	9	31	1	3	0.29