What do you think of this football/soccer sportscaster’s tirade?
I’d very much like to know whether people know about this historic tirade, and what you think about it.
Norway, the underdog, defeated England 2 to 1 in the world championship in 1981, and Norwegian sports commentator Bjørge Lillelien ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bjørge_Lillelien ) got so excited at the end that he said (translated to English):
“We are the best in the world! We are the best in the world! We have beaten England 2–1 in football!! It is completely unbelievable! We have beaten England! England, birthplace of giants. Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana—we have beaten them all. We have beaten them all.”
“Maggie Thatcher can you hear me? Maggie Thatcher, I have a message for you in the middle of the election campaign.[a] I have a message for you: We have knocked England out of the football World Cup.[b] Maggie Thatcher, as the say in your language in the boxing bars around Madison Square Garden in New York: Your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!”
Which got a lot of attention and has since been copied or parodied several times.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOwWCsP3zh8 (the tirade starts at about 2:40).
(question formulate by @Zaku)
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9 Answers
Excitement that degrades into poor sportsmanship? Taking the game of football to be a political victory?
I see someone who got overly caught up in an exciting moment NOT thinking before speaking!!!
I take it this was a big deal for him. I don’t really begrudge the underdogs for losing their minds, he just happened to be the fan with a microphone in front of him. Also, fuck Thatcher.
Being this is over 40 years old it doesn’t excite me.
As a soccer player and fan I have experienced far more energy that from a sportscaster.
I would say this man was an Anglophile to the point that the obsession drove him to an inferiority complex.
First of all, that is not a tirade. That is just pure excitement over a historic victory. And it occurred in the middle of Thatcher’s conversion to be anti-Europe.
To quote @Smashley “fuck Thatcher”.
People I want to tell you that these are Very Great Answers. @zenvelo. Tirade in positive connotation.
In my understanding, his speech was an even greater victory than the actual one.
Representatives of all countries want to repeat his experience with the British.
@Smashley. You are absolutely right about Thatcher because 1981 Irish hunger strike.
@HP. ^^Maybe once I repeat this experience in relation to the USA.
@Forever_Free. Clearly Englishman.
@seawulf575. Britain has always needed and continues to need such words.
England and English sports commentators are so insufferably jingoistic when they win anything that honestly it is a relief when they lose.
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