Cheer up Michael Owen
- 19 Jun 06, 10:15 AM
MUNICH - Based on the performances of the England team in their opening two games there are many issues that need resolving.
Not least of these is the form of Michael Owen - so with this in mind Ricco and I went to visit the scene of one of his greatest performances.
As any England fan knows, the Newcastle striker knows what it takes to succeed in Germany.
He scored a hat-trick as England defeated Germany 5-1 on that famous September evening back in 2001 when the great footballing rivals met for a World Cup qualifying tie in Munich.
The Olympic Stadium has since been retired as a football venue - the Allianz Arena now filling that role in Munich - but it remains in use for music concerts and various other events.
We turned up on a day when a wine tasting festival was taking place and initially had a bit of trouble getting in.
The people on the door wanted us to pay the 4.5 euros entrance fee and did not look too thrilled at the prospect of two dishevelled Englishmen entering.
Eventually we went to see Andreas Kaul, the stadium's press man and, like most Germans we have met, he could not have been more helpful.
Ricco took some shots of the stadium and I squeezed in between the wine tents on the pitch to try to recreate one of Owen's goals in the hope that if he watches this (unlikely I know) it might inspire him to an improvement in form.
Check out the video.
To one side of the stadium was the Fans Fest area. Each host city has one of these and is the place to head for if you want to watch games on a big screen and pay over the odds for a beer.
They have an interesting system that involves paying a deposit for a plastic glass into which they then pour your beer. At the end of the night you return your plastic glass in exchange for the deposit you paid.
The Fans Fest at Dortmund was slightly different. You returned the glass in exchange for a token that you then exchanged at a different counter for cash. A remarkable waste of time.
Ricco and I have never actually found somewhere at a Fans Fest where we can see the whole of the screen but have learnt to follow a match by watching one half of the action taking place.
Not that this stops people heading down there.
It is somewhere with a bit of atmopshere for ticketless fans and the one in Munich proved so popular when Australia played Brazil that it was full hours in advance of kick-off.
Don't forget to for the chance to win some fabulous Sport Relief prizes, including a Pele-signed table football and our very own Shevchenko-signed Fletch and Ricco t-shirts.
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Ah, bliss....what heaven it was to witness on TV that thrashing 5 years ago and how great it felt to be on a beach full of Germans in Cuba, wearing of course my LFC top with Owen on the back.....
One day though the official records will show the true result of that game, that is to say, Germany 1 Liverpool 5 :)
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Ok ned
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Hi there,
thanks for this very cool blog. I enjoy reading it everyday. I'd like to make one remark, though: The deposit system may be a waste of time for some, but it also ensures that all this plastic gets recycled, and streets stay cleaner. Having lived in the UK for 10 months now, I am still shocked to see huge amounts of plastic being used only once before being burned, or otherwise disposed of. Same for paper, glass, etc. What a waste of resources! But maybe it's just the area where I live? Btw, the Swiss waste their time by voluntarily bringing back about 80% of all plastic bottles to recycling points (no deposit).
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Germany has many such systems that other nationalities would consider a very efficient waste of time. It's what makes Germany German.
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Another nice post "from the inside". By way of explanation, returning glasses in return for a deposit or a token to be exchanged for cash, is a long-established way in Germany of minimising environmental impact. It may be a waste of time to British eyes, but you only have to look at the litter at any UK event to realise that there is some method to the Germans' madness.
It's not limited to football events or concerts either, it's part of daily life, and people know that they will be charged for plastic bags in supermarkets so bring their own reusable bags; there's a reason why UK landfill sites are overflowing!
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Owen to start and hopefully get some goals !
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Oh and I just wanted to second the remarks made by Ed Merson. Living in Sweden it took me a while to get used to the 'deposits on bottles/cans' thing - I just about remember it in the UK before it was phased out....the streets tend to be a LOT cleaner here in Sweden thanks to the system so let's not knock it, as it were.....it's also an incredibly useful thing if you've no food in the house but have just about enough cans/bottles to recycle and get enough cash for half a dozen eggs, some bread for toast, and a bottle of HP! A question for the lads though - have you tried washing Svan yet? Do NOT try to do it yourselves - go to a garage :)
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I can tell you from experience that the fan fest area in Frankfurt has fantastic views of the screen - it's floated in the middle of the river Main. There is no protection from the sun though, and the day I was there (for the Paraguay game), there were plenty of other rather red England fans!
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aahhh the patriotic liverpool fans who define teamwork and togetherness with their constant rantings... =)
forgetting that without other players in the england team that don't play for liverpool - none of these goals would have been scored!
That win over germany was a team performance...
and the win over T&T, while maybe not a performance, was once again a team win.
also emile heskey scored in that 5-1 thrashing of germany, i think that proves alot when you like to remember him as part of your clubs history!
Owen and rooney to start tomorrow. I reckon owen will get on the score sheet this time. Give the lad a chance!
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Ahhhhh yes, i wasn't there in munich, but by god it was amazing. Enough said. England were awesome. Enough said.
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Happy days indeed. Owen, however, should perhaps stop criticising the service that he has been getting and perhaps focus a little more on his own game.
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Kris - does the phrase "tongue in cheek" mean anything to you? Of course it was a team effort and no-one knows this more than LFC and Man Utd fans, the latter of whom constantly remind the former that most (if not all) the goals on that night were "Made In Manchester". Good luck tomorrow for the team - I hope to annoy plenty of Swedes in this town by driving around with flags of VICTORY!
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I was at the Fan Park for the Eng v Trini game, and had a perfectly good view of the screen, uninterrupted in fact! Also, Stan Collymore was in the crowd, cheering on England (he was also in Munich for Euro 2000).
Re the 1-5 Thrashing we gave Germany, I was there, at the game, and it was a great display of football, becoming almost farcical at the end, as the opposition (and their fans) just gave up.
As far as tomorrow goes, England may settle for a draw (it wouldnt supprise me) and also it means that I get some peace, as my girlfriend is Swedish! Go Tinidad!!...cough
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Fair do's Jim (and Kris) but I still have my Germany 1 Liverpool 5 Mug sitting on my desk in the office and want to know if anyone actually remembers who scored the goal for Germany?? Answers on a postcard...!However, that's all history now and on Tuesday we will be playing our toughest opposition this tournament so England will need to turn up the heat. Owen to start and score two!
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Owen, jsut some others in the England squad are trying their level best to make a big name for himself in this Cup. This is will be selfish the problem of any England team.
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The deposit system does seem like a waste of time but Germany has far less litter lying about than England, so it does work and you get used to it. Another enormous German waste of time is the yellow bag system. Waste has to be separated and recycleable waste goes into a yellow bag, which is then taken away and very often burned because nobody can be bothered to sort the waste again! Makes them feel better though. Praying England don't have to play Germany - my girlfriend is German and so all domestic harmony could be quite rapidly destroyed for a while. Will be in the strange position of wanting them to win tomorrow so we can avoid them!
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Liverpool my arse?
Sorry boys but England are bigger than merseyside.
The reds would never have scored so many goals if it wasnt for the foot of Becks.
Tomorrow Becks to score the fisrt, a 30foot freekick after 9mins, then Ownen (yes I believe he will give us the goods) and Rooney will open the swedes and scare the hell out of the argies.
Must admit I thought we would meet the french in the final, oh well never mind froggies, you can but try.
One last word, good job the Aussies, I really hope we can give you a kicking in the semis, guess I will just have to wait until the ashes.
Football is coming home!!
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If we have any realistic chance of winning this tournament (and getting past Germany or Ecuador) we need Rooney and Owen on top form.
Anything less and it will be the same old story...
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The German goal was scored by Carsten Janker. He was slighly shorter than Peter Crouch, better in the air, but prety useless on the ground.
Bayern farmed him out to Rapid Vienna where he was a big success. He came back to Germany and made the national team. He can't be more than 30 now, but I have no idea where he is.
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I remember the England Germany game. We (the family) were on holiday in Florida and all of the pubs were charging exorbitant prices to get in, my son (who was 8 at the time and a massive Michael Owen fan), wanted to watch the game but wouldn't have been able to see the screens. That evening (Florida time) my son and I found a bar showing a repeat of the game.
The bar was empty save for 4 scousers who had obviously been there all day drinking, when they heard my accent amd saw my sons shirt (LFC with Owen on the back) they welcomed us over to sit with them.
We watched the game and thoroughly enjoyed stuffing the Germans. At the end one of the scousers said who'd have thought it, Germany 1 England 5; even better said one of his mates, Germany 1 Liverpool 5; better than that said a third, Germany 1 Everton 0.
Got to love them.
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I remember the England Germany game. We (the family) were on holiday in Florida and all of the pubs were charging exorbitant prices to get in, my son (who was 8 at the time and a massive Michael Owen fan), wanted to watch the game but wouldn't have been able to see the screens. That evening (Florida time) my son and I found a bar showing a repeat of the game.
The bar was empty save for 4 scousers who had obviously been there all day drinking, when they heard my accent amd saw my sons shirt (LFC with Owen on the back) they welcomed us over to sit with them.
We watched the game and thoroughly enjoyed stuffing the Germans. At the end one of the scousers said who'd have thought it, Germany 1 England 5; even better said one of his mates, Germany 1 Liverpool 5; better than that said a third, Germany 1 Everton 0.
Got to love them.
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I think that the "remarkable waste of time" referred to is exchanging the glass for a token, and then exchanging said token for money, at the Fan Fest event, as opposed to no extraneous token at the wine tasting.
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Are you sure you couldn't see the big screen because you'd been to the wine fest first.I have watched nearly everymatch at the fanpark and you can see all of the game from virtually anywhere. A clearer brighter screen will not be found anywhere.Also the idea of paying a deposit on your glasses works.
Don't spoil a good blog by making things up!!
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Thank you Bailey! At last somebody who understands the "token" aspect of the comment in the context of the article... I was astounded by the number of people who missed that. You also saved me from having to rant about it in a far less elequent manner!
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Owen should be shine again tomorrow! Get some goals!!
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don't mention 1:5!
Well, if Liverpool were playing against Germany next Friday I'd be very nervous. But its only Englands squad. Germany made it to the Finals in 2002, can anyone tell me what happened to England back then? Prost!
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The game did NOT take place in September. July or August.
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although rooney is not 100% fit, i think he has in him the toughness to deliver. i think he knows its all on him now. with owen in, who knows maybe it will be a repeat of 5:1
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Well yes r_diger, after a fairly uninspiring run (Germany beat such footballing giants as Paraguay, Korea and the USA along the way), Germany lucked their way to the final, where they were beaten by... the same team who knocked out England. In reality, Brazil - England WAS the final that year.
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Those of us of a certain age will remember the days when every bottle of lemonade and many other drinks came with a 3 (old) pence deposit built into the price, which you got back when you returned the empties to the shop. I used to make quite a bit by offering to take all the bottles back after there had been a family party! It was a good system - not all changes have been for the better.
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Hey Dave, there was also a great 'stuffing' recently but I didn't have to go to Florida to watch it. 'Where was this', I hear you ask.......well I'll tell you Dave. It was Windsor Park, Belfast and it was a joy to behold. I can tell you that David Healy's goal was sweet Dave, really sweet. Ya gotta luv 'im.........ya gotta luv 'im. Northern Ireland 1 England 0 :-) Na na na na na...........
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When is sven gonna realise that gerrard and lampard cannot play together. in my opinion he's gotta play 4 5 1 wit carrick in the holding role and gerrard and lampard in free roles.
lampard and gerrard are in the team because of their club performances and for their clubs they both play an attacking role and don't need to worry about defending due to the presence of makelele and alonso. England will not win the world cup in my opinion unless they either give them both free roles or bite the bullet and drop one of them.
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Ah...that game. It was the first England match I ever watched. I was studying in Bath at the time and happened to walk past a pub. I heard that there was and Engand Germany match that day, so stopped in for a pint on my way to work. Needless to say, I never made it to work. England gained a fan for life that day. What a great experience. I only wish I was in England for the WC.
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It's all good and well talking about the 5:1 thrashing but we should be careful because if (AND PROBABLY WHEN) we meet Germany soon they are going to be looking for revenge on home turf and they are looking on far better form then our lads. Owen might have got a hat trick but he'll be doing a disappearing trick if they knock us out and we can't really rely on Crouch or Walcott either. Bad feelings.....
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Owen played really well and thats one of the reason for the england's win ovr
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Owen played really well and thats one of the reason for the england's win ovr
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i am sure owen will bounce back into form by next game a get a goal against sweden
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Owen played really well and thats one of the reason for the england's win ovr
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For Joe Blogs:
It was Sept 1, 2001 or 9/1 as the Americans like to say. How do I know, I was there. By the end we weren't cheering, but laughing.
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Dave Lambert - I'm not making anything up!
Maybe we have arrived too late but honestly we have struggled for views. Ricco and I have just about perfected standing on the balls of our feet.
Still, I'm not for a moment knocking the atmosphere at these places!
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Although I'm flattered by your respect for the German team, I believe you overestimate them. We still haven't reached world-class level yet. England has it but somehow seems too lazy to live up to it ;-).
I'm also hoping England and Germany can avoid each other for a while. It would be a little boring without one of the two at this stage.
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I dont know where Carsten Janker is now, but he is my LM in my home grown team in FIFA 2001. great player back then, rating of about 43. quality. surely someone must still have fifa 2001 apart from me?
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Really hope England do well as we, down under, are looking forward to beating you in the semis. It will be really funny down my local boozer when it is 0-0 at full time to start saying to the local English fans "has the self doubt started yet?"
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The 1 word i would never associate with Carsten Janker is gr8, he is one of the worst strikers to grace a world cup....even Emile Heskey had more class than him..lol
The last i heard of Carsten Janker he was transferred 2 Udinese in Serie A for a seaon or two, i think he only got a couple of goals there and was transferred to Kaiserslautern.
Anyway (by now i've looked on wikipedia.com) and apparently he's at some south korean club or something.
Anyway that was a good blog Fletch n Ricco, nice to see the Old Olympic Stadion is still there, and when i say 'there' i mean to say it hasn't been knocked down.
Anyway lets hope you've inspired Michael Owen for 2morow's match.
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Hi, I'm in US and I'm an average sports watcher. As for Soccer/ Football I watch only when World Cup comes around. I have been watching all the World cup games here and I have to say that Soccer rules are so put dated. It is pathetic, Referee can throw any1 out of the game and there is no replacement for it. That is soo out dated. In perticular the U S Italy game should be shame for FIFA. I don't know how you put up with this?
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Since the World Cup started there has been a lot of talk about players and managers receiving bonuses for reaching various stages of the competition, none more so than the Togo manager/players.
When will managers/players realise that their "reward" for reaching various stages or indeed winning the World Cup is pride.
Both in bringing it to your Country and to yourself for being allowed to represent your Country on a world stage.
Anybody who complains that a bonus is not big enough should be sent home straight away because you can be sure there are plenty of players watching at home who would give there right arm to represent their Country.
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Carsten Jancker moved just before the world cup to a club in China. In his time in Italy he won a trophy for being the worst player in the league
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Hey Farouk Merchant - Stay in America. That is the only country in the world that tinkers with rules of any sport to make it more palatable for the TV audience (usually seeking instant gratification). What does surprise me though, is that some Americans will find extreme satisfaction in a well thrown baseball pitching duel of 1-0, but cannot see the artistry of a well played 0-0 game of football.
PS In football you cannot kick the legs out from underneath others or you will get sent off - is this difficult to understand in the US?
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The prospect of England and Germany playing in the next round!!!!
I'm English and my husband is German. We're currently awaiting the birth of our first child, which was due last saturday. Still no sign of it yet. But sods law says that if there is an England Germany game then it will come then!!!
Maybe we should use the result of the match to decide which nationality it should be!
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Germany 1 - England 5, the greatest moment of my 30 years following England.
Of course being a devout and life served CFC fan I could never renounce my Englishness even though I am exhiled (through work) in Scotland.
Never before have I seen such hatred for my beloved country as here in the North East of Scotland, as yet I have not been able to wear my new shirt or even cheer the team I love for fear of physical reprisal. Never before has so public a display of hatred for a Nation been left un-punished. If this were to occur anywhere else in the Western world so publicly there would be reprisals. I am not asking for a National holiday here if England win but some respect and intelligence wouldn't go a miss...
Is this what Britain is all about? Come on Scotland - PROVE ME WRONG!
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Hi,
i feel soooooo sorry for michael owen, i love him to bits and i almost cried when he went down in the game against sweden!! nd when they filmed him goin into his house on crutches it was heartbreakin nd i dnt think anyone can possibly understand how hes feeling!! wteva happens though he will always be a huge part of english football nd he was definitly part of the england world cup 06 team!!!!
get well soon michael!!
lotsa love xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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hey remember me. i like sunil dass
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hey remember me. i like sunil dass
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