Soccer Coach
Well-Known Member
I am sorry to correct you, but handshaking before and after the game have deep philosophical and historical tradition.Congrats on the result and that does seem to be the book on Rino's Tigers. If you open up and try to trade chances, they have the weapons to burn you, as Peg discovered, but if you sit back and counter that can be managed. You will still give up chances because their personnel are just that good, but if you can get the bounces you can often come away with something. That being said, they are still a young team and Blaise is a good coach so I am sure they will work on how to breakdown that type of an approach from the opposition, especially if more teams start to play like that against them.
I am never one to shy away from having a pop at Rino's, but the hand shaking thing is just so North American in my opinion. Is it good sportsmanship? Of course. Is this just an amateur league? Yes (although some would question that I suppose...) The point being though, this is why we have finally gone to shaking hands pre-game. If you want to take your ball and go home and have a little tantrum or whatever after the game, then go for it. It always seems so disingenuous to me to force the teams to shake hands after the game (don't even get me started on the "three cheers" piece). If you have lost the game, particularly if it is a big game or if it has been really close and really heated, it can be tough to immediately switch off and pseudo-congratulate the other team post game. Some guys can do it right away, some guys might shake the hands of one or two guys close to them, some guys might just want to be left the f*ck alone. I think all of the above are fine. Some guys who were fired up might get undressed, maybe have a beer and then bump into guys from the other team in the parking lot and now they don't mind saying good game. I've seen Blaise post game a few times and he's never particularly interested in shaking hands even when his team has won, though he appears more receptive. On the other hand, after a loss, from what I've witnessed, while he is certainly not about to go out and shake everyone's hand, if you seek him out he will acquiesce.
Point being, you guys likely put a hell of a shock into them and he was probably pretty rattled. Well in to you guys, but I just hate the idea that it is somehow incumbent upon the losing team to instantly shake it off and "play nice." I don't know maybe I am in the minority on this one.
One hundred years ago on Christmas Day, soldiers in the First World War laid down their weapons to play football in no man’s land.
It was a remarkable gesture of humanity amid the squalid nightmare of trench warfare.
Today, FIFA remembers and pays tribute to those young men who shook hands and kicked a ball across the frozen earth.....
.....The global football community will continue to embrace this campaign to encourage respect and solidarity within the game."
I keep telling you that football has more deep symbolisms and meanings and that there are important social/economic/philosophical undercurrents in the game, but you guys keep treating as any other sport....