Quote: catskillz @ June 14 2010, 1:09 AM BSTWhile we're on the subject, what percentage of Americans do you think know that Wales even exists?
I'd say 80% know it exists, 30% could find it on a map and 1% could discern a Welsh accent.
The all-in-one consolidatory football thread Page 134
That makes 111%! Oh no, wait, I see what u've done there.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ June 14 2010, 1:43 AM BSTWhen they talk about a 'British accent' that always makes me laugh, there is more range between an Ulster or Glasgow accent and a posh standard English accent than the most extreme of US accents, so which British accent do they mean?
In that case, I think they're speaking about the accent in general, not the specific region. Americans would call anything from England an English/British accent. English, Scottish, Irish - that's about the extent of it.
My mom has to put the captioning on when she watches anything with a British type accent.
I've done that on occasion while watching things like Early Doors. I miss the joke, replay it with captions and most of the time I realize that the punchline was a bit of slang or celebrity that I'm not familiar with.
I stumbled upon an episode of Jerry Springer over the weekend and that Southern accent is just unbelievable - no-one talks like, surely. It was like it was off a cartoon.
The subject was 'Hillbillies in a tent' - it was high brow stuff!
There are few accents in the UK that sound like they automatically knock off a few IQ points off but they're not as bad as these were.
Quote: Splodge @ June 12 2010, 9:47 PM BSTCan I just say - ITV, you may pay my wages, but you're well and truly shit.
I see they are working their ITV magic on Arian Chiles who used to be fine on his Fivelive football phone in but is now becoming more crap by the day with tedious cliches about the other countries. I might take bets during England Vs Germany how long it will take him to mention sunbeds, Tuetonic effiency and even a really toe curling Dambusters reference.
Just to be alarmist I just had a look at the remaining fixtures in England's group to see if they could get knocked out after two games. They can't but they can be in a position where qualification is out of their own hands.
If by some unlikely (though typically not impossible) chance that England lose to Algeria and the USA beat Slovenia, England would have to pray that the USA v Algeria game doesn't end in a draw. This is because no matter how many goals England score in their last match against Slovenia they would have a worse head-to-head record against Algeria.
Here's how it could work out:
England 0 Algeria 1
USA 1 Slovenia 0
England 4 Slovenia 0
Algeria 1 USA 1
GROUP C
USA P3 W1 D2 L0 F3 A2 Pts5 GD+1
Algeria P3 W1 D1 L1 F2 A2 Pts4 GD 0
-------------------------------------------
England P3 W1 D1 L1 F5 A2 Pts4 GD+3
Slovenia P3 W1 D0 L2 F3 A2 Pts3 GD+1
This scenario for the final game could be interesting after Algeria were cheated of a place in the second round in 1982. On that occasion Austria and West Germany played out a very convenient 1-0 German victory that saw both teams qualify.
In 2010 the USA and Algeria could do the same by drawing but Algeria would be relying nervously on the England v Slovenia game being nothing other than an England win. If we went 2-0 up say, you could easily see the pattern of play changing in the other game.
On the other hand England could draw with Algeria and lose to Slovenia, failing to score in either, and still go through on the basis of having scored more goals than Algeria.
England 0 Algeria 0
USA 0 Slovenia 2
England 0 Slovenia 1
Algeria 0 USA 0
GROUP C
Slovenia P3 W3 D0 L0 F4 A0 Pts9 GD+4
England P3 W0 D2 L1 F1 A2 Pts2 GD-1
-------------------------------------------
Algeria P3 W0 D2 L1 F0 A1 Pts2 GD-1
USA P3 W0 D2 L1 F1 A3 Pts2 GD-2
This is a load of pointless conjecture but fun to speculate all the same. 
Quote: DaButt @ June 14 2010, 2:17 AM BSTIn that case, I think they're speaking about the accent in general, not the specific region. Americans would call anything from England an English/British accent. English, Scottish, Irish - that's about the extent of it.
Heard an interesting story about when Dave Gorman went to America (Texas I believe) and they just couldn't tell his accent (there is no particular twang to his accent just run of the mill) and nearly everyone he met assumed he was Australian because they couldn't put there finger on a particular accent.
Quote: Nil Putters @ June 14 2010, 3:58 PM BST
Why does that not surprise me?
Quote: Oldrocker @ June 12 2010, 12:16 PM BSTBar owners mainly I would think.
Also on the arrogance bit: Wales v England 1999/00 Five Nations season at Wenbley. Score with a few minutes to go 31-25 to England who are awarded a kickable penalty. Take the three points on offer and go two scores clear or kick into the corner and try to score seven and really rub their noses in it ?
Which option did they take? Well, suffice to say that Scott Gibbs scored a wonderful try to give Wales the victory by 32-31 !
Sweet !
That's that funny shaped ball game.
And Germans, French and Italians aren't arrogant?
Italy 0 Paraguay 1
Italy being beaten by a pair o' guys?
Quote: Chappers @ June 14 2010, 6:45 PM BSTThat's that funny shaped ball game.
And Germans, French and Italians aren't arrogant?
Indeed it is.
Maybe, but why does the rest of the world hate England not Italy, Germany et al?