The View From Here

Tiberius

Every time I replay recent England goalkeeper howlers (and I have one more to reflect on since yesterday), I mourn the loss to the game of Matt Murray, who has been England's finest since 2003. Unfortunately his soft tissue is comprised of vaseline and his bones are made of puppadom. I'm sure Bert Williams had two or three things to reflect on yesterday.

BTW, Alex, if Willie Ormond and Ali McLeod has picked either of the Leeds keepers (Harvey or Stewart) instead of Alan Rough, Scotland's 1974 and (particularly) 1978 world cup campaigns might have been even more exciting.

Edmund Jerk

Isn't a 1-1 'win' a little bit like 0% growth?

ndm

James Fallows describes the genesis of Harvard "beats" Yale here.

I don't know about Bunker Hill but the New York Post seems to have forgotten 1950.

tommyt

erm David Harvey was the Scotland goalie in 1974 in all 3 games. He let in one goal.

Rough let in 14 in the following 6 world cup games Scotland played.

Say what you like about young Green but his reaction to Saturday compares massively favourably with the slobbering wreck that was erstwhile English hero David Seamen after his ridiculous clanger in 2002.

Still I have David James in my fantasy team so I'm quite happy.

Snowman

It’s not the Green’s howler what lost it to England. It’s the team’s inability to play winning football that did it, and will do it again.

fifer

Alex - I rather think that Scottish goalkeeper jokes have been conspicuous by their absence down here since, well, let's see...Seaman, James, Robinson, Foster and now Green. Comedy gems from every one.

Given what Germany looked like against Australia, this is looking like the shortest World Cup for a while I'm afraid.

Ronnie

The fun never stops.

Tiberius

Thanks for the correction, tommyt - I was rather sounding off from memory.

Russell

Aye Alex, my thoughts exactly. The ghosts of Scottish goalies past have surely been laid to rest. As tommyt duly notes though, hats off to "Greenie" for taking it like a man and actually doing media interviews after. Compared to Seaman's blubbering (a horrible sight since it came with a pony-tail and Magnum mouser) he showed remarkable restraint. Ok I can stop being Scottish-American and support England now. Or more likely, at least not actively root against them.

Baby steps, baby steps in my post-UK embrace of England....

dearieme

That Scottish goalie at Sunderland played pretty well last season, don't you think?