Tuesday 7 August 2012

Hockey Horrors

India has through history beaten Belgium in the hockey world cup and olympics. This afternoon India ensured this piece of history is altered. Our hockey heroes contrived what I thought was impossible by being blanked 3-0 by a belligerent Belgium. We scored only 6 goals in our 5 league matches, lost all of them and earned the distinction of being the only team in the competition not to score even a single point.

Our beloved Aussie Coach, Mr Nobbs, got the physical condition of our players ship shape. Somewhere along the line old Nobby forgot that simply running around more or faster than the others does not a hockey match win. He threw out most of the senior players, brought in a bunch of bacchas who are just past their junior days, so much so that India has the youngest team in the competition.All this is great if Nobby is preaparing the team for Rio and the 2016 Olympics. Someone forgot to tell him it is London and not Rio we needed a team from him! Maybe in Rio.....

Our hockey men have their backs to me and their backs to the wall.

Our chaps in blue keep attacking but the opponents keep scoring the goals!

We keep running around in circles and Nobbs, standing to the left of our flag, fellin' dizzy and clueless.

The hockey is best forgotten except for an earlier match I witnessed wherein the Aussie steam rolled Pakistan 7-0. The animals where there at the Olympic Park to brighten my Olympic day. The police horses in all their majesty. A guide dog, cute and all Labrador. And the Dog Relief Area (see photos below) more than made up for Nobby and his men.

Horses for courses. This horse is on course to do his job in the Olympic Park.

A cute black Labrador I snapped close to the hockey stadium. This one's a professional - a highly trained Guide Dog. 
The dogs at the Olympics are having a field day. This enclosed area, the pink sign on the wooden wall declares it's a "Dog Relief Area", is for the pooches to relieve themselves. Don't miss the toilet paper on the wall. Wonder whether it's meant for a pooch or a person!

Later in the evening we watch our good man Gowda on TV in the discuss final. He throws well, for an Indian that is. By Olympic standards he was good enough to finish only 8th. Relatively speaking he did us proud merely by reaching the finals. Good on you mate.