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Welcome to the World Cup Picks of
the Week Special! We are proud to present, in no particular order, our Top 10 World Cup-related sites. If you have a suggestion for a cool, useful, or quirky site you'd like to see as a future Pick, why not send us an email? |
Umbro: Bunk Off
For anyone who isn't
a football fan, the next four or so weeks are going to be truly hellish.
But for us sane people, it'll be a big old frenzy of national pride and
sporting prowess! Hurrah! So, in case you haven't already organised your
days off to watch the crucial matches, Umbro have come up with this handy
little guide to effective bunking off. You can also get the latest updates
from the England squad, and read what Henrik
Larsson thinks about opponent Sweden's chances. (As long as they
finish second behind England in the Group stage, we'll be very happy for
them.) |
Banzai
Footy fan or not, if you're game for a laugh, Banzai is for you. Based on the cult Channel Four series,
the site allows you to, "Prace bets now!" in a series of fast, furious and funny games. Take 'The Celebrity Sexy
Party' for example, where you can bet on which lovely lady some Z-list celebrities did not invite to their
party. Make sure you have your speakers switched on too - the opening theme tune complete with crashing gong is a beautiful
sound indeed. So, what you waiting for? Click mouse button now! Come on, come on! Betting finish!
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Boys In Green
"Look at the scenes! Would you just look at the scenes!," exclaimed John Motson after Robbie Keane's
magnificent 92nd minute equaliser against Germany last week. A 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia will take them through to
the second round, and, while it might not sound like much on paper, the Saudis have certainly tightened
their defence since the 8-0 defeat to Germany. In all our wisdom, the Picks Pundits think the most likely
scenario for Mick McCarthy is
starting Keane and Duff up front, then bringing on big Niall Quinn
after, say, 70 minutes if a goal is still required. We're getting quite good at this, no? |
MapzineKorea
Planning on going over to Korea? Best get a move on then! Seriously though, there is nowt more traumatic for us
pale islanders than being stranded in a strange land. Struggling along with the blazing sun in your eyes, it may prove
difficult for even the most seasoned traveller to locate those important things like kebabs, and beer. Fear not brave
traveller, MapzineKorea is here to mop your sweaty and furrowed brow. Here you'll find useful information on where to
go, with a zoomable map highlighting cultural (ie: fast food) places of interest. Okay, so we couldn't find a kebab
anywhere, but this site may still prove valuable to many.
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England AFC
Oh, happy day! Sweet revenge for Golden Balls
and the boys against Argentina,
and it's put England in a very good position going into their last group match against Nigeria
on Wednesday. Just a draw will be enough to see them through, but Sven, who is officially the Calmest Man in the
WorldTM isn't counting his chickens yet. Mind you, watching the celebrations of
the fans after Friday's match and you'd have thunk England had already won the whole tournament. Still, the
already-eliminated Nigerians will want to at least
take some points home with them, so it should be nail-biting stuff. More of the same please, Becks. |
Japanese Engrish
Japanese readers, please don't take offence - this site is a shrine to that phenomenon known as 'Engrish'.
You know, the kind of unintentionally hilarious translations that appear in Japanese advertising. Oh, and there are some absolute gems here!
Check out the weekly highlight, "Evirob is the essence of life. It will makes you ill. Try our extraordinary works. You
can find it's another standard." Another standard indeed! Elsewhere, you'll find incredible Engrish usage on packaging of all
kinds. A favourite of ours is the 'Panda notebook' adorned with the legend, "Have a smell of Panda droppings. This one is very fragrant."
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BBC: Mini
Motty
Ah,
John Motson - king of the commentators. Classic lines like, "the World Cup
is a truly international event," and, "nearly all the Brazilian supporters
are wearing yellow shirts - it's a fabulous kaleidoscope of colour!" have
made the man a legend. And now the Beeb
has given him his own downloadable desktop application to keep you
company, not only through the World Cup, but also into next season's
domestic competitions. Select five teams to follow, and Mini Motty will
pop up with relevant newsflashes. You can also make him dance, hand out
red cards, or even, ahem, show you his ball control. |
Wembley Park
Now, we've heard some nasty rumours going round that some footy fans doubt the prowess of the England squad.
Well, if England team-bashing is your thing,
you can take your frustrations out on said players in this viciously funny site.
Of course, we must warn you that some of the games and cartoons on offer here are a little
on the risque side. But if you're into the acerbic bad taste-fest that is 'South Park' you're gonna love this.
Or you might think it's a load of not-so-golden-balls. The Picks Team gives it a unanimous thumbs up, and we actually found that some
of the cartoon sporting stars look quite lifelike...
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Triumph International
Definitely one for the ladies this. Oh okay, who are we trying to kid? This is of course, the home
of the World Cup lingerie set that caused a stir in the Picks office... We'll let the item description
do the talking: 'The bra is in the grass green colour of a football pitch, and the cups feature football-shaped
leather look pads covered in mesh netting and framed in white to depict a goal.' Oh and there's more - football motifs
on removable straps and matching briefs showing a goalie catching a ball. According to the site, this is one football
kit that sold out pretty quickly in Tokyo stores... Please try and keep your eye on the ball lads!
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2002 FIFA World Cup
Korea/Japan
This
is the official site of the tournament, and if you'll pardon a little
self-trumpetblowery on our part, we're very happy indeed that it's in
partnership with Yahoo! Hooray and hurrah! The team down the hall has been
working like the clappers to produce the site, (hopefully they'll give us
back that copy of 'HTML
for Dummies' we leant them soon), and it shows - interactive competitions,
destination guides,
time zone calculators, highlights streaming,
trivia, comprehensive team profiles... it's got the lot. So, if you're
looking for thorough and impartial news, this is the place to be.
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Previous Weeks' Picks:
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[ 20th May 02 |
13th May 02 |
6th May 02 |
29th April 02 ]
Worldwide Picks:
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