Nakata takes his ball and goes home and another response from Nick

We have another e-mail from Nick but first breaking news! Hide Nakata, the arguable face of Zico Japan is quitting......................everything. No more national team, no more Bolton Wanderers, no more anything. He's done.finished, outta here.
Maybe, I'm in the minority on this one..........but, no tears are being shed here. In my humble opinion the guy was more hype than hero. And maybe that wasn't completely his fault but he reaped the benifits, so he has to suffer. I wish the guy well and he was a nice break once in awhile from the constant stream of Urawa covers on the soccer rags but Hide was all about Hide.And now Hide can be one of those guys who appears on shows where people eat or dress up like women and play softball. Thanks for 2002, no thanks for 2006.

It might not be awful if he pops up in a management position in Shonan for his former Bellmare squad. I think we'll see him pop up in Japan in a couple of years for a superclub like Yokohama or Urawa.

NICK CHIMES IN ON VERDY AND VICTORIAN VITRIOL (nice turn of phrase there,huh!)

Nick has left a new comment on your post "Soilent Green-Behind Enemy Lines 2......A Family Affair": I went to Yokohama too,crappy game but didn`t mind as I was thinking more about England v Portugal to come later on....standard England defeat as usual. I`m personally hoping Ronaldo gets kicked to pieces next season and ends up in hospital where the nurses can kick him a bit more. I`m hoping for a France v Germany final and speaking as an Englishman surprises me greatly to say!! I love the World Cup but am sick to death of the diving,cheating,sniper in the crowd,theatrics on display.There was a time when football was game played with respect and a bit of muscle. FIFA should take a note from the egg chasers of Rugby (either union or league) whereby if a player is injured play continues and the physios go straight on the pitch rendering feigning injury pointless.If a player is injured and needs attention (as Im pretty sure the Portugal guy did after having his family jewels crushed by Rooney,accidentally or not)jus let the physios on and let the game carry on,reckon it would stop a lot of faking.The game is turning into a game for jessies mincing round the pitch,their girly haircuts cascading in the wind in 200 quid carpet slippers,all trying to outcool everybody else. What happened to the days of shoulder to shoulder,sticking your foot in etc Back to the 70`s I reckon where in the first 20 mins everyone was allowed to kick the crap out of each other!! Ok the stakes are high (players might get paid 2 zillion quid instead of only a zillion if they win) but whenever Ive played football albeit at amateur level I dont think Ive ever seen anyone faking.They would be laughed off the pitch and probably be given a good beating by their own teamates for being such a girl.There was a saying that said "Rugby is a thugs game played by gentlemen and footy is a gentlemans game played by thugs" not so any more...Fair Play my arse!!!

Agreed and Agreed.........I am definetely no Cristian Ronaldo fan.....the guy always looks like he's trying to get on an Eric Cantona commercial when he plays. Although Rooney's nutcracker was a bit much.

Thanks again, Nick!