Tuesday 19 June 2012

A WAG's Eye View of Euro 2012


Mrs Tnfive changes her tune


Euro 2012 - an event that I have dreaded with a passion. Well, what was there to look forward to? Night after night of ‘boring football’ taking over the TV. Long lonely evenings spent contemplating my navel whilst listening to my dear husband’s shouts of ‘Get in!!!!!’ and ‘That’s clearly off-side!’ coming from the living room. To be frank, I thought I would rather pull my toenails out one by one with a pair of rusty pliers than subject myself to this utter Euro tosh. However, for some unknown reason I couldn’t shake off this niggling feeling inside me, this little voice in my head that kept saying ‘Go on! Give it a go. You never know, you might actually enjoy it!’ Well, who am I to ignore the call to the beautiful game? If nothing else I’ve always enjoyed a challenge. So, I took a deep breath and took the plunge into Euro 2012. After all, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Ok, I admit. I did have a beer or two during that first nail-biting game between Greece and Poland which probably helped to fuel my enthusiasm, and pushed me to shout at the telly every time the ref got his red card out. But, beer or no beer by the time the first match was over I was finding myself thinking ‘Mmm. That wasn’t so bad. Maybe I’ll watch the next one?’


A couple of games in and enter Cristiano Ronaldo. Now for some reason this guy is a bit like Marmite – you either love him or loathe him. He appears to have a huge army of female fans but the jury’s still out as far as this female is concerned.  I have to say, the bloke is good-looking but aside from the fact that he looked like he’d had a swim in a vat of chip fat before that first game, his change of hairstyle at half time seriously put me off. Sorry Ron, but you’ll be relieved to hear that I won’t be joining your fan club or sending you marriage proposals any time soon. (‘I should think not!’ says ‘him indoors’). Any footballer that spends his 15 minutes off restyling his barnet instead of sucking on a piece of orange is just not for me.

Anyway, I digress. By the time the first England match rolled around, I was seriously getting into this football lark. I had ‘tweeted’ and posted on Facebook, joined in discussions about Ron’s fancy step-overs and I’d even hung a string of St George flags from my Juliette balcony. ‘Quite a change’ I hear you cry. I hadn’t been this interested in football since Italia ’90 when I only tuned in to gawp at Gary Lineker’s legs!

So, as I write I am watching the England v Ukraine game (yes you read that right. I’m a woman, I can multi-task!) and there is more than just a teensy weensy bit of me that desperately wants Rooney to score a hat trick. I am shouting at the TV as Tymoshchuk fouls Scott Parker, tweeting and facebooking about Ukraine’s poor luck on that ball crossing the line, getting that heart-sinking feeling when Shevchenko comes on (please don’t score again!) and laughing at Blokhin’s over enthusiastic hand gestures.

I am happy. Very happy. At last I feel as though I know something about football and after 11 years of marriage I finally understand my husband’s passion for the game. I have you to thank for that. Yes you – Euro 2012.

And…………………………………I think I might even (just maybe!) understand the off-side rule!!

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