Month: June 2010

It should have been a glorious occasion. England were in a comparatively easy group for this years world cup and our opening game was against America a country who have only recently started playing. What happened? A team that we were supposed to roll over with apparent ease held us to a one all draw and that was only through a horrendous error by our goalkeeper.

 

No matter the second game should be easy, we are playing Algeria. Unfortunately the game was a nil nil draw and a spectacle of such dross. Animal and Roger Moor who had turned up at my house to watch the match left after play had finished instead of staying on and partying all night long as we were supposed to after our “slaughter” of the Algerians.

 

Shortly after, the texts started; “The wags could have done better in high heels” and then “If we cant beat a bunch of camel shagging rag heads from the third world we may as well come home now”. They became a lot more extreme after that one and I wont print them. All of this anger was compounded by Mr Rooney’s comments of “being booed by your own fans is not good”. Well Mr Rooney some people have been saving for an awful long time and made immense sacrifices both emotional and financial to be over in South Africa to support you and your boys and with the display you gave what do you expect? To be showered with rose petals and have dads offering to name their next child after you was never going to be on the cards after that game.

 

Now is not the time for drowning sorrows and slashing wrists, we are not out of the competition yet but I think as a lot of my fellow country men do that we are entitled to expect more from our overblown, overpaid, pampered and preened “Superstars”. They have fantastic salaries and lifestyles that the rest of us mere mortals can only dream about. Who is it that allows them that lifestyle? Us, the long-suffering and paying supporters. It is time for them to give something back and a little sweat and effort would not be unappreciated.

 

We are not the only team in this state. France are perilously close to going home as are a few other nations and the ball seems to have come in for some particularly harsh criticism. To be fair it is not harsh at all, the ball is rubbish and as most of the coaches and a lot of players have said it does not go where you want it to go. Even the makers have said different altitudes affect the qualities of this particular ball. It is almost as annoying as those damn vuvuzelas or horns that have no note and sound like a swarm of bees. Some players have said this affects their concentration. Most notably the players on the losing sides are saying this and not the winning ones.

 

Our world cup is not over yet but never has so much been owed to so many by so few. For gods sake England get your fingers out.

 

Although it seems like forever since the last one it is only four years since but so much can happen in four years. Much of my life can be traced through foot balling events. I was in London at the Hyde Park concert during the last world cup when England were unceremoniously dumped out by Portugal and the little winker himself Ronaldo.

In 1986 the day of the FA cup final between Liverpool and Everton I made a life changing decision and left the home I was living in at the time. I was in Bulgaria when Liverpool lifted the European cup for a historic fifth time. So what has happened since the last world cup?

My mate the Tiler left for Australia, the Marchioness of Gastanbury is sadly no longer with us, an economic recession the like of which has not been see since the end of WW2 is still reaping havoc around the world and in the UK we have a change of government to mention just a few of the important events that have happened to me. The damage to the economy caused by the outgoing government has (according to the incoming one) been catastrophic and will require years of hardship before the countries books can ever be balanced again.

The UK is not alone by any means in it’s struggle to get to grips with a runaway economy. Greece is in deep shit with at least one economist predicting that a coup or overthrow of the government will take place within the next few years followed by a few other south European countries and the break up and death of the Euro, a currency that should never have been born. Strangely a well respected financial newspaper revealed only the day before that the arms industry was the only industry that most countries had not cut back on and indeed in some parts of the world were positively surging.

There is no doubt there will be stormy seas ahead for some time but for now let us hope that the tournament in South Africa can bring a sense of calm and peace to an otherwise troubled world. That is until your team loses!