For anyone uninitiated in the original language of the gantry, first learn the Ronglish basics.

Boy Wonder job

Throughout the Ronglish lexicon, it’s abundantly clear that Ron draws a good deal of inspiration from the small screen. And of course Boy Wonder job can only be a reference to Adam West’s dapper sidekick in the sixties TV version of Batman, a gentleman whose style Ron clearly admired.

In the good old days, if one of Ron’s favourites happened to be on the bench, the old day-dreamer always fancied him to come on and bag the winner, to do a Boy Wonder job, as it were. Kerpow, Smash etc.

The phrase was particularly in vogue during David Beckham’s last days at Old Trafford, as the one-paced dandy became largely surplus to Sir Fergie’s requirements. Indeed, at the time many suggested this was Ron’s nod to the increasingly homo-erotic relationship between Robin Becks and his own contrary, totalitarian Batman figure.

Ron might say:

Little Scholesy’s just itching to get on down there. I just wonder if he could come on and do a Boy Wonder job.

Mrs. Ron might say:

Just leave it Ron. The sink wouldn’t have been blocked in the first place if you only took some of your bloody rings off. I suppose I’ll have to get young Simon in number ten to pop in again and do a Boy Wonder job.

Buy a Ticket

Sick of being stung for sponsored walks at work? Best give Ron a wide berth too. For it’s seldom that the big man gets through ninety minutes without encouraging one of the forward players on display to purchase a ticket for some raffle or other.

Still, generous to a fault, at least Ron puts up a decent prize. No pawning you off with a bottle of sherry or a leg of lamb here. First ticket out of the hat wins the opening goal.

Bashful genius that he is, Ron has actually gone on record to attribute the origin of this Ronglish staple to former West Brom attacking midfielder Tony Brown.

When he was WBA gaffer, Ron called Tony – who scored over 200 league goals for the club – Der Bomber, after German fox in the box, Gerd Muller.

It seems Tony was never shy of taking his chances and having a dig, so much so that his training ground catchphrase became “If you don’t buy a ticket, you won’t win the raffle.” No doubt it’s a convenient mantra recited to this day at the Hawthornes, every time Brown successors like Luke Moore opt for wild attempts instead of squaring to better placed colleagues.

Ron might say:

Credit to the little beaver for getting on the end of that but I can’t believe he’s popped that off instead of pulling the trigger. If you don’t buy a ticket, you won’t win the raffle.

Mrs. Ron might say:

I know you’ve told him before, Ron, but it wouldn’t do that nice Mr. Champion any harm to smarten himself up a bit and pop down the social club one evening. As you always say, if you don’t buy a ticket, you won’t win the raffle.

Creeping

The natural evolution of Ron’s great love affair with John O’Shea. It seemed the big man couldn’t help but wonder what kind of master-race offspring his ardour for Johnno might produce. Why else would he invariably liken the Waterford man’s occasional surges past rebound-positioned wide men to the fledgling movements of a small child.

O’Shea might have been one of the first to inspire this slice of nouveau Ronglish, but eventually Ron urged any enterprising full-back faced with an opponent that tends to track back in installments, to start creeping. How do you think Gary Neville finally scored a European goal?

Ron might say

I know I’ve said this before, Clive, but I just wonder if the big Irishman shouldn’t start creeping for a diagonal or two.

Mrs. Ron might say

Easy Ron, it might seem like a good idea now after those pina coladas you’ve had, but just wait until a little orange nipper starts creeping round your gantry.

Do the Shopping

As we’ve seen in recent brushes with reality TV, Ron could be accused of being something of a chauvinist.

Housework, for example, is a task Ron considers much more suited to the talents of a lady.

However, funnily enough, on the field of play Ron is quick to advocate the equitable distribution of domestic chores. While one centre-midfielder might be expected to “stay at home to mind the house”, his partner will be called upon to do the shopping. Essentially, this involves “joining up” with the front two whenever possible. Naturally, bloodvessels ought to be burst in the process.

Ron might say:

He’ll just ask Makele to stay at home and do the screening job while Lampard does the shopping.

Mrs. Ron might say:

Big man, I think I’ll stay at home and let you do the shopping.

Ron might say:

You’ve been watching cartoons, love.

In an interview with Dangerhere, Chris Kamara told us he liked to do “Brown Eyed Girl, Stuck in the Middle With You, Mustang Sally all that type of stuff.”

Well here, finally, is the evidence. Unbelievable!

Headline writers will have a field day with Thierry Henry returning to the Emirates and Cesc Fabregas going up against the side he left  to sign for Arsenal. Both clubs came through the last sixteen round impressively with Arsenal comprehensively defeating Porto and a Lionel Messi inspired Barca knocking out the German side Stuttgart.

The big question for Arsenal fans will Arsene Wenger rush to bring back the likes of Fabregas, Gallas and Van Persie from injury. The Arsenal captain is set for action in the Premier League this weekend against West Ham but the other two may take a while longer. Barcelona are currently involved in a titanic battle with Real Madrid for the Primera Liga title but will be glad to have avoided Manchester United - the side they defeated in last season’s final in Rome.

If Arsenal’s injured players return in time, then the Gunners have a real chance of causing an upset and progressing to the semi-finals however, with Lionel Messi currently in scintillating form, the Catalans will be favourites to progress.

The winners of the Arsenal / Barca clash will face the winners of Inter Milan and CSKA Moscow in the last four. Jose Mourinho’s side stunned Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier in the week winning 1-0 thanks to a Samuel Eto’o goal. The Italian champions have been rewarded with what looks a eminently winnable tie, on paper at least.

If the Italians can grind out a draw in Moscow then expect the Milanese side to qualify for the semi-finals. CSKA will be no pushover and their quality performance in the last-sixteen round to knock out Sevilla suggests they are coming into form at the right time. Inspired by the excellent Honda in midfield, CSKA (whose season has just begun) have nothing to lose in their first Champions League quarter-final appearance.

The meeting of Bayern Munich and Manchester United will evoke memories of many illustrious European nights between two of the giants of European football. Sir Alex Ferguson will, no doubt, be delighted to have avoided Barcelona, Inter and Arsenal on their side of the draw but knows his side faces a stiff task to overcome a revitalised Bayern.

The Germans overcame Fiorentina in the last sixteen and boast a strike-force containing Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, both  in excellent form. Much will depend on how the Germans manage to contain Wayne Rooney who is enjoying the season of his life this year at Old Trafford. I expect United to squeeze through.

The quarter-final pairing of Bordeaux and Lyon will no doubt have please Michel Platini as it guarantees a Ligue 1 side a place in the last four. Lyon have been knocking on the door in the last few Champions League tournaments after dominating domestically for over a decade.

Their defeat of the much-fancied Real Madrid in the previous round marks them down as a good outside bet for this season’s competition. In their way stands Laurent Blanc’s Bordeaux, in a tie the whole of France will be looking forward to.

Conquerors of Olympiacos in the last-sixteen, the side currently involved in a three-way battle for the French Championship will relish the opportunity to knock-out one of their fiercest domestic rivals. Lyon’s greater experience in the Champions League may swing the result in their favour but only just.

All four quarter-finals are certain to be tight affairs as the closest Champions League tournament in many years reaches its climax in the Santiago Bernabeau final in Madrid next May.

Champions League Draw Quarter finals

Ger McCarthy is author of Off Centre Circle, which chronicles the curious life of  a West Cork League junior footballer.

It didn’t always look the case. An opening day defeat to Colchester United saw the Essex club put seven past the Canaries. Now, Paul Lambert’s side find themselves seven points clear of Leeds United at the top of League One.

It’s been quite the turnaround. After dispensing with the services of Bryan Gunn less than a week into the season, the Canaries turned to Lambert – the man responsible for that resounding 7-1 victory. Having forged an impressive reputation in the lower divisions with Wycombe Wanderers and then Colchester United, the Scot was seen as the man to change the club’s fortunes.

Lambert has done just that. The Canaries have gone from strength to strength during his tenure, winning an impressive 25 from 33 league games, which included a 5-0 thumping of Colchester in January. Relations are still strained between the two clubs, with U’s chief executive Robbie Cowling labelling the score between the two clubs “7-6 to the mighty Colchester,” but it appears that Lambert has made the right move.

Indeed, his stock has never been higher. A number of high quality signings gave many Norwich fans cause for optimism during the summer, though doubts persisted over Gunn’s ability to build and shape a team. Morale was low at the club, which had been on a downward trend since relegation from the top flight in 2005.

Under the stewardship of Lambert those doubts have subsided, and the club has been re-energized. Players such as Chris Martin and Wes Hoolahan have flourished under the new regime, with Grant Holt’s 21 goals proving crucial. The team have tightened up at the back since the Colchester debacle too – only a handful of teams have conceded less goals than the Canaries this season, and the club boast the best goal difference in the division.

Lambert remains calm, insisting that the playoffs were the only target when he took over. Norwich look set to go one better than that as things stand with an immediate return to the Championship. The title could be all but secured when City take on Leeds at Carrow Road on the 27th of March – a ten point gap would be too much for Simon Grayson’s side to make up at this stage of the season.

On that fateful day in August, it seemed Norwich had committed seven deadly sins. Now they find themselves in seventh heaven. Call it the Lambert effect, if you will.

More from Shaun on his excellent blog.

That’s right – Pulis’ four-year tenure on the Potteries has propelled him into the top ten of football loyalty.

That statistic reflects badly on the game. Outside the top three (Sir Alex Ferguson, Aresene Wenger and John Coleman of Accrington) every manager has been at his club for less than a decade. Brentford boss Andy Scott has only been with the club for two years, but he’s already 23rd on the list!

Loyalty is a two-way thing, of course, and I’m not criticising the managers at all. On the contrary.

Let’s look at this week’s sackings – or ‘mutual terminations’ for compensatory reasons – of Phil Brown and Gary Johnson.

Less than two years ago, the two faced off in the Championship play-off final after unlikely climbs up the table. Who’d have thought they’d both be sacked less than two seasons later?

Brown, in particular, may not have been the most likeable character, but the impact he had on Hull as a football club was phenomenal.

When he arrived on Humberside Championship survival was the order of the day and Premiership football was a million miles away.

So for him to lose his job because the Tigers are struggling in the nation’s top tier – having never reached such a lofty perch in all their history – is unjust.

Johnson’s sacking leaves even more of a bitter taste in the mouth. He took Bristol City from League One to within 90 minutes of the Premiership, so you’d think he could be afforded a season of consolidation.

But football is plagued by short-term memories and it makes the game even further removed from reality. Sure, it’s a results business, but no one in life can ever claim to always be successful – just look at Real Madrid’s continued recent failure to make the Champions League quarters.

It’s time for a sense of perspective. The reason Wenger is still at Arsenal, despite four trophyless seasons, is because of the impact he’s had on the club.

Brown and Johnson each had similar, albeit lesser, effects on their clubs.

I’m sure both will soon be in employment again, and I wish them both well.

Lee Price is the editor of Football-Previews

From a one-trick pony wide man to international sex symbol in ten easy guff steps.

1. Always remember your roots…

“My parents have always been there for me, ever since I was about seven.”

2. Look for the good in everyone…

“Alex Ferguson is the best manager I’ve ever had at this level. Well, he’s the only manager I’ve actually had at this level. But he’s the best manager I’ve ever had.”

3. Don’t neglect your education…

“Are you a volatile player?”
“Well, I can play in the centre, on the right and occasionally on the left side.”

4. Especially the maths…

Guiliem Balague: “At least you’re still two points clear of Valencia” (After drawing with them at the weekend).
Becks: “I thought it was three after we got a point tonight.”

5. Always keep your options open…

“We’ve been asked to do ‘Playboy’ together, me and Victoria, as a pair. I don’t think I’ll ever go naked, but I’ll never say never.”

6. It’s important not to rule anything out…

Gary Newbon: “David, was Wayne Rooney disappointed to lose his youngest goalscorer record on Monday to the young Swiss striker?”

David Beckham: “No, but I’m sure it’ll just make him even more determined to get it back against Portugal tonight.”

7. Know your mind…

“The thought of pulling on any shirt other than the red one of United just doesn’t appeal to me. There’s no bigger club in the world than United so why should I want to leave? I want to stay at Manchester United, become captain and be the best player in the world.”

8. Know your foe…

“No matter who we’re playing against, or who our opponents are, we want to win the game.”

9. There’s no time like the present…

“That was in the past – we’re in the future now.”

10.  Stay spiritual…

“We’re definitely going to get Brooklyn christened, but we don’t know into which religion!”

For all the talk of Jose Mourinho, and his admittedly wily tactical plan, it was apt that Wesley Sneijder was the most tangible difference between Inter Milan and Chelsea last night. The lack of a truly creative player in the middle of the park has handicapped the London club’s obsessive quest to win the Champions League over the last few years.

Frank Lampard is lauded, and rightly so, as a player who has evidently worked hard enough to become a world class player, despite not being blessed with great natural talent. But he does not have the guile of a Fabregas, a Xavi, a Sneijder.

Michael Ballack is, at this point, a plodding parody of his former self.  Carlo Ancelotti seems to distrust an out-of-form Joe Cole, whereas Deco can no longer influence matches as he did in this competition, with glorious results, for both Mourinho’s Porto and Rijkaard’s Barcelona.

In other words, Chelsea’s midfield talents are rather prosaic, and it is power rather than poise that remains the team’s defining trait- and even their power has been compromised by the injury problems plaguing the dynamic Michael Essien.

While they have bludgeoned their way to Premiership glory, and may yet do so again this season, European competition still requires guile and flair above all else. Ancelotti, as Scolari before him, was tasked with making Chelsea a more aesthetically pleasing side, but he is yet to be given the opportunity to mould the team as he sees fit.

As Mourinho taunted in the build up to this tie, it is still essentially the team that he managed (only with aging legs). If Ancelotti is expected to make Chelsea as entertaining as his often superb AC Milan team, he may have to search out a new Kaka, a new Pirlo, a new Seedorf.

Real Madrid sold Sneijder for 15 million euro last summer; with the benefit of hindsight, perhaps Chelsea will feel they missed out on a bargain.

Odhran Harrison is the editor of Moral Courage

1. Reports on the death of Italian football have proven premature with Inter’s dogged performance over the two legs clearly demonstrating the Serie A champions are more than a match for the best of the English Premier League including Chelsea.

Mourinho has no doubt added much-needed tactical discipline in difficult European ties but take nothing away from an all-round excellent Inter display for whom Wesley Sneijder was imperious.

2. Jose Mourinho won the battle of the city-swapping managers hands down. Two second-half tactical substitutions from Ancellotti failed to unlock the Chelsea defence and Mourinho’s deployment of a 4-3-1-2 formation eventually wore down an uninspiring Chelsea side.

3. Cambiasso and Sneijder are as good a midfield pairing as any other in Europe this season. The Dutchman adds class and guile while Cambiasso provides the steel and defensive cover. The two dovetailed superbly around the centre of the pitch and their movement kept the likes of Ballack, Lampard and Obi Mikel busy all night.

4. The steady decline in both form and influence of both Frank Lampard and John Terry should worry every single English fan ahead of the World Cup in South Africa this summer. If Chelsea’s English internationals can no longer inspire their club side on crucial European nights then how can they be expected to inspire their country against the likes of Spain or Italy?

5. Inter’s centre-backs Lucio and Samuel comfortably contained Didier Drogba for the second Champions League game in a row. The Ivorian won his fair share of free-kicks off the Brazilian Lucio but failed to stamp his authority on the tie in the way Chelsea would have hoped.

It is testament to the Inter defenders concentration that Drogba’s only sights on goal came from a half-chance snap-shot in the first half and a couple of long-range free-kicks in the second. The Ivorians’ sending-off late in the game was borne out of pure frustration having been marked out of the tie by Inter’s no-nonsense defenders.

6. Wolfgang Stark demonstrated how an important Champions League tie should be refereed by a proper UEFA referee with a quietly efficient yet commanding display. The German’s efficient performance was in stark (no pun intended) contrast to a certain Mr. Overbo’s in last season’s ill-fated semi-final tie with Barcelona at the Bridge. How Chelsea must wish Stark had been officiating that night.

7. Florent Malouda’s magnificent display against West Ham United in the Premier League the previous weekend was quickly forgotten with a disappointing and un-productive performance. Denied the space afforded to him on Saturday Malouda struggled to make any headway against the tough Brazilian right-back Maicon and as a result his influence waned as the tie progressed.

8. Since Drogba returned from the African Nations tournament Nicholas Anelka has not looked the same player. The French international’s confidence has waned and his fine record of four goals in four games while his Ivorian strike-partner was away has dried up dramatically.

The only time Anelka looked threatening last night was when he made brief darts into the box in an attempt to link up with Drogba. Too often he found himself hugging the touchline in search of possession rather than linking play around the edge of the penalty area with Chelsea’s free-running midfielders. A confidence player by nature, it is that very trait that Anelka is desperately lacking in right now and his team is suffering without the Frenchman’s goals.

9. Samuel Eto’o is a shadow of the player who scored freely as part of Barcelona’s all-conquering side just a year ago. One moment at the start of the second half encapsulated the Cameroon international’s disappointing display. A beautifully-weighted through ball from Sneijder found Eto’o in acres of space. Rather than take the shot on the run from the edge of the box Eto’o instead elected to take a few extra steps which allowed Zhirkov time to clear. A year ago the ball would have been nestling in the bottom corner of the net. Credit to Eto’o who popped up to score Inter’s vital goal in the 79th minute but he can ill-afford to be as wasteful in the latter stages of the competition.

10. Chelsea’s exit from the Champions League is bad news for both Manchester United and Arsenal. The Premier League title run-in begins in earnest this weekend but the Pensioners will not have an already cluttered fixture-list further complicated by two-legged Champions League quarter or semi final ties.

No doubt Wenger and Ferguson would have preferred to see Carlo Ancellotti’s side in the hat for Friday’s draw along with their own teams. Chelsea can console themselves following their Champions League exit that they are now free to concentrate on the Premier League and FA Cup. A domestic double is still attainable despite last night’s poor performance.

Ger McCarthy is author of Off Centre Circle, which chronicles the curious life of  a West Cork League junior footballer.

Until a dubious equaliser from Hull, Arsenal looked set for a straight-forward win but in a championship run in there are no straight-forward games… unless it’s home to Fulham or West Ham.

• Throughout the entire second half everyone would have been thinking the same thing. Whether it be those who think Arsenal have what it takes to go all the way this season or those who think they will inevitably implode, everyone was thinking this is going to a fixture that goes a long way to deciding the Gunners’ fate this season. This was the kind of fixture and situation that the Arsenal of last season would not have found a winner in.

• Nicolas Bendtner’s injury time winner might just be looked back on like Steve Bruce’s injury time winner  for Manchester United which instilled a belief that their long wait for a title was about to end. Arsenal haven’t been waiting 26 years for a title but the feeling would have been the same one.

• Much has been made of Arsenal’s fixture run in and how it lacks many tough fixtures and things might just be about to get a little easier for them. If Spurs beat Fulham in their FA Cup quarter final replay they will not be able to fulfil their league fixture on the day of the semi final. That fixture is against Arsenal at White Hart Lane and would then be moved to the second last game of the season when, if all goes according to Arsene’s plan, the title could already be done and dusted.

• Much more attention needs to be drawn to the fact that Arsenal achieved this result and are sustaining these results without Robin Van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, William Gallas and Alex Song. That’s the first-choice spine of the team yet people don’t talk of that as an injury crisis because it’s so hard to tell. Imagine any side without their captain, their ex captain, their only defensive midfielder and their main striker and imagine how far they’d get.

• Didier Drogba has scored 12 goals in his last 12 games. If he had been free from injury and did not travel to play in the African Cup Of Nations he could logically have scored more goals this season than Wayne Rooney. Both men are indispensible to their clubs and an injury to either could end their clubs title chances. Also if Drogba hadn’t been injured or absent in January, Nicolas Anelka might not have scored since September.

• Although he has had many, many critic,s surely Dimitar Berbatov deserves a lot of credit for recent league performances. Ten league goals this season and a world class assist for Wayne Rooney against Fulham. Unfortunately for him though, in the big match against Liverpool on Sunday he will no doubt start on the bench. Another who has had his critics but will undoubtedly start against Liverpool is Ji Sung Park who has emerged on the past few games as one of United’s stars of the season. He was excellent against Milan and in his cameo appearances against Wolves and Fulham he’s been exceptional…who’d have thought it? Fletcher and Park…the indispensables!

• Adam Johnson looks a really, really good player. He rescued City on Sunday against Sunderland and although he was subbed early against Chelsea in their last match he has been consistently good since his January move from ‘Boro. Something that isn’t consistently good though is Man City. Will they manage to throw away pole position in the race for fourth?

• Fabio Capello is probably delighted that David Beckham got injured and won’t be fit to go to South Africa. Now he doesn’t have to answer any more questions about whether or not he’s going to put him in his World Cup squad…come to think of it he’s probably delighted Michael Owen is injured too…wait this sounds suspicious…hey wait Wayne Bridge pulled out too! This is crazy; Capello is systematically eliminating potentially harmful distractions from his world cup squad. Next thing you know John Terry will wake up with a horse’s head in his bed.

• Hull finally sacked perma-tanned Phil Brown. I wonder what was different about Saturday’s performance from the rest of the last season and a half that inspired the board to take this action now. Surely it’s a bit harsh to sack the man after being beaten by an injury time winner by Arsenal…they did lose 5-1 at Everton last week…and 3-0 at West Ham the previous game…don’t they seem like more sackable results?

LONGEST IN THE SHOWER

Charlie Nicholas has been snooping around the Upton Park dressing rooms:

“Carlton Cole gives you length.”

SHOP KEEPER

A Chelsea fan phoned You’re On Sky Sports on Saturday to vent fury with the transfer window system, clearly worried Toyota can’t solve their recall crisis with a move for Iker Casillas:

“No other business in the world would have their hands tied behind their back and not be able to trade stock, especially in the goalkeeping position.”

RUBBING IT IN

Nice work from Jim Rosenthal on last week’s FA Cup draw, concluding a chat with Jason Cundy about his brush with testicular cancer by smoothly interjecting:

“Did you make sure all the balls are out of the bag?”

SELLOUT

There’s no point worrying about global warming any more now Iain Dowie’s found out what the Nottingham Forest winger has gone and done:

“George Boyd gives the world away very, very cheaply.”

SECOND LIFE

And it seems an angry caller to 96FM might have identified the buyer:

“If this happened in any other civilised world there would be outrage.”

CREATING SPACE

At Hull on Saturday, headmaster Joe Royle was convinced “good defenders can handle physics” but in Chelsea defender Alex, Ray Houghton found one who convincingly defies it:

“In the space of two yards, he’s got three yards on him.”

SLIPPING AWAY

It’s a very different brand of physics, but Paul Merson’s description of a relegation fight was every bit as impressive:

“They’re on the slippery mountain with slippers on.”

ABSOLUTION

Ross Turnbull will be delighted to learn that Matt Holland felt repelling Scott Parker’s first half goal wasn’t within his remit:

“The first save he had to make was in the 94th minute.”

ONLY GOT TWO SONGS

After mistaking Denilson for Eduardo and, somehow, Clichy for Arshavin all night, it was Diaby that finally painted Trevor Welch into a corner:

“Beautiful feet hasn’t he Song... passes to… Song.”

MENS’ ANONYMOUS

Hull’s squabbles in front of the Women’s Institute caused some consternation on Soccer Saturday:

Paul Merson: “What is that anyway?”
Jeff Stelling: “The only meetings that Merse hasn’t been to.”

SIGN OF THE TIMES

Matt Holland on Tottenham:

“They’re in pole position, they’re fourth.”

SIGN OF THE TIMES 2

What have we come to when old-school Scouser Ray Stubbs greets a pair of gleaming white footwear with the words:

“Sensible boots on today for Nicholas Bendtner.”

YOU SAID IT

Andy Townsend brings to punditry what Johnny Ronan offers to discretion:

“I wouldn’t have given Lyon any hope to go Real and get any kind of result, but only a fool would take anyone lightly.”

TOUCHé

Eamo embarks on a Beckham rant: “You don’t have to be able to sing to be a star.”

Billo: “You of all people should know that.”

QUICK ONE-TWOS

Andrey Arshavindoes the work of ten editorial meetings:

“Give it a few more weeks and they will put a camera in a footballer’s pants in order to get a story.”

Alan Brazil dishes the dirt:

”It leaves a sewer taste in the mouth.”

Phil Thompson’s nose is getting longer:

“Lionel Messi has had a bad season.”

Dwight Yorke ogles two unlikely pin-ups:

“Paul Scholes and Gary Neville are the centrefolds of Man United.”

Glenn Hoddle writes Ray Hodgson’s teamtalk:

“Spurs are in the semi final of the FA Cup.”

Pat Dolan sphinx long and hard about Capello’s tactics:

“England wanted to play the Pyramid system against Egypt.”