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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| North Korea coach expecting a "warm welcome" when he returns |
| 2010-06-25 |
| Kim Jong Hun's North Korean players have fallen far short of emulating their illustrious countrymen who reached the 1966 World Cup quarterfinals. Still, the coach expects a warm welcome at home. Perhaps a warm welcome on the hot seat? After opening with a gritty 2-1 loss to five-time champion Brazil, the North Koreans gave up six second-half goals in a 7-0 thrashing by Portugal, prompting suggestions the squad would face scorn when it returns to Pyongyang. Ahead of their last match at South Africa 2010 against Ivory Coast on Friday, coach Kim had no such concerns. He's as cool as Baghdad Bob. “We were not able to go on to the next round, so both my staff and my players didn't meet the expectations of my countrymen,' Kim said. “However, even though we didn't play too well, our people will welcome us with open arms.' "I can say, and I am responsible for what I am saying, that they have started to commit suicide under the walls of Baghdad. We will encourage them to commit more suicides quickly." Ivory Coast needs to score plenty of goals to have any chance of reaching the second round. But Kim predicts his players will be leaving the tournament with their heads high. So Ivory Coast needs to score a lot of goals to outscore Portugal who already ran up the score against the Norks. This could turn out poorly. “We did concede a lot of goals (against Portugal), but nevertheless we are going to fight hard in our next game, and it's a way to avenge ourselves,' Kim said. “We will try to restore our honor and do our best in the game.' "There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!" Ivory Coast's physical approach is also something Kim said the players are prepared for. “They will probably be extremely aggressive,' he said. “Ivory Coast is physically a bigger team than us, but our players will also resist strongly and I don't think that will affect us that much.' Despite the Portugal defeat, the North Korean coach said he would not be making wholesale changes. North Korea was down 1-0 at halftime against Portugal when Kim changed from a defensive 5-4-1 formation to a more attacking 4-3-3. The team conceded six goals in the second half and Kim was cagey about his approach for Friday's match. Rumor has it that Kimmie made a call at halftime ordering the coach to attack and score goals. The Norks weren't styled for that so when they tried they got slaughtered. Nothing a student of history wouldn't recognize from communist leadership. “It will depend on how the game flows. If needed, then we will be more on the attack and more aggressive. And if it looks like we need to be more defensive, then we will play more defensively,' he said. “It really depends on the match.' "My feelings - as usual - we will slaughter them all" In 1966, the North Koreans surprised the world by beating Italy en route to the quarterfinals, then taking a 3-0 lead against Portugal. But the Portuguese rallied to win 5-3. There were very few North Koreans in the crowd for the first rematch in 44 years between the two nations. Kim bristled when asked whether travel restrictions in North Korea affected the support his team had received in South Africa. “I don't think you are well-informed,' Kim replied. “We can travel freely. We can travel abroad freely, that's just a free choice of each Korean. So I think you are badly informed.' I'm sure he believes this. Sad. |
| Posted by:gromky |
| #5 NOKOR Soccer loss versus TOPIX > NORTH KOREA PLANS NUCLEAR TEST? + NORTH KOREA GIVES "NO SAIL" WARNING [Milex? NucTest?]. The YIN + YANG.... [DRAGNET theme here]. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-06-25 23:53 |
| #4 So much for this squad. They will be fertilizer when they get home. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2010-06-25 12:52 |
| #3 North Korea 0 Ivory Coast 3 |
| Posted by: Willy 2010-06-25 12:47 |
| #2 Warm? More like hot, as in "hot lead," as in firing squad. |
| Posted by: Mike 2010-06-25 11:33 |
| #1 Travel freely. All you need is $$$ for a plane ticket. And a plane. And a family that you could do without. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-06-25 09:40 |