Ingredients of a classic game

Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsWhat makes a football match memorable? So gripping in fact, that all you can do when talk around office turns to the great game, is speak about some match you saw more than 15 years back! The book, Fever Pitch has some excellent pointers, but before we get into that, here's a little about it.
Fever Pitch was voted as the all-time No 1 sporting book last year, and is the tale of an obsessed Arsenal Football Club fan. Football fans will know that it was a good time to pick up this book; after all, the under-achieving Arsenal made it to the European competition's final (and lost to Barcelona) for the very first time in their 120 year-old history this week.

Fever Pitch charts the many mind-numbing games that Arsenal played during Hornby's teenage years and is a hilarious depiction of a typically football obsessive. If you count yourself a sports fan, you'll recognize a soulmate in Hornby.

Listed below are some of Hornby's must-haves for a game. The comments are mine:

1. Goals - as many as possible. The first World Cup that I ever really followed was Italia '90. The tournament should have sent various thrills down my spine, what with Diego Maradona expected to waltz his way through various flat-nosed, dull-headed defenders. But that wasn't to be; in fact that edition has unanimously been defined as the most boring cup ever, with an average of a little over 2 goals per game.

2. Outrageously bad refereeing decisions; it's even better if your team is the victim.Spain, the best nation never to have won a World Cup along with Holland was one of the favourites in 2002. But the quarterfinal saw them lose to South Korea. Raul and co. scored at least one legitimate goal, which was disallowed.

3. Opposition misses a penalty.Roberto Baggio, Zico, Socrates, Michel Platini. They've all been wizards who suddenly turned jelly-kneed and lead-footed at the most crucial juncture.

4. Someone receives a red card.
Just last Wednesday, the Champions League final which saw Arsenal's Jans Lehmann being sent-off
(sent-off?!!! That should have been a penalty, nothing more) had a healthy dose of controversy.

5. Some 'disgraceful' incident.2nd round encounter, England vs. Argentina in the '98 World Cup. David Beckham kicked out at Diego Simeone after being fouled and was sent-off. Delicious.

So let's hope Germany 2006 has plenty of this. After all, there are advantages in not having India participating; this way, the pain isn't unbearable even if your favourite team, say Holland, loses.

And as for Fever Pitch, read it. It's great stuff. And after that, read Beyond a Boundary, known universally as the best cricket book of all time. We could then have a discussion someday on which is better - cricket or football! About the AuthorH R Venkatesh H R Venkatesh is News Editor-Anchor at CNN-IBN. He has just returned from the University of Oxford where he completed an M Sc in Contemporary India as...Read Morefirst published:May 19, 2006, 17:04 ISTlast updated:May 19, 2006, 17:04 IST
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