I blush, blush a little more, and then feel all gooey at the look.<em>Come into my parlour, said the Jaclyn to the Taffy.</em><br/><br/>"Promise? I don't think I've ever had my plumage checked. Do I need to make any special preparations or are you going to pounce on me when I'm unsuspecting?"<br/><br/>Ooh, terrible line! I blush a little more.<br/><br/>"Don't know. Money does that, I guess. And the offensive media spotlight. So difficult to play nowadays. Gretzky? Oh, The Great One, right? A wise man called Wayne mentioned him. I think everything's the same nowadays, the media want controversy and violence, and the rules and refereeing mutate to assist in it. English football's referees are led by an utterly spineless individual."<br/><br/>________________<br/>Here is the English ref chief in action. It's 14 years old, but I believe it shows all of the cards actually shown in a quite scandalously biased performance. Nowadays, it's about 5 red cards, and I wonder how Campbell restrained himself from thumping him.<br/><br/>I've not seen much of anything, as I was away over the weekend. I saw England's first two matches and the 'highlights' of the Cameroon battle. USA are ultra-professional, and with France and England, almost certainly the best prepared. I don't think many others are near their level - Japan have been good, Spain too, just maybe no cutting edge. The best French club (Lyon) and the best Spanish team (Barcelona) are importing English players (Bronze, Duggan to start with). The reffing is all over the place, and VAR seems quite arbitrary at times. I hope US commentators are less one-eyed than the English ones!<br/><br/>Gold Cup as well? And Copa America! Not enough hours in the day! I imagine the GC is quite fun, given it's all going to boil down to the big boys. The minnows will improve as some get experience in professional leagues. Costa Rica have had a few decent results in World Cups over the years. Bermuda-Nicaragua might not be a classic later on though. Maybe things will continue to improve now the FBI got rid of Blazer and Warner (and all the others!)