England must win today, otherwise the Swedish media is going to send me on the rampage. The TV and newspapers are so full of (sh)it. "Just because England invented football they seem to think that they are automatically the best." "The English are so cocky, they seem to think that they have already won the WC." "The game is about 50/50, but they think they are already in the final." "Because the PL is the best, they think England is as well. All the best players in the PL are French, Brazilian and Belguim, the English just make up the numbers." Etc. etc. Come on England, don't just beat them, humiliate them!
Mbappé has been rightly praised for giving his £17k match fee for representing his country to charity. Turns out that the entire England squad has been doing this. Since 2007, all match fees have been given to the England Players Foundation, which has so far raised about £5m. No need to make a big fuss about it of course.
It's important that England score first today. If the reverse happens it will be a tough watch as the Swedes love to defend and our world cup will be over. Be brave England take your chances and be aware of the counter attack.
They are. I’m pretty sure that Cantona doesn’t write this stuff, some of the phrases used are just too English, but he certainly has fun delivering them. He hams this up but is clearly a decent actor with a great sense of irony. And he also did this What a remarkable man. A true representative of the beautiful game, he gets it.
This is undoubtedly the most nerve wracking England game in many, many years, largely because whatever way I look at it we really should beat them, and it’s to get into the World Cup semi finals ffs. I think we will but it won’t be pretty, and the word ‘Iceland’ keeps floating into my brain. Time to load the fridge up with beer. But I can’t over anaesthetise because we are going out tonight with our Portuguese neighbour and his English wife (they have been flying both flags in their garden) and it would be rude to turn up wrecked in either elation or misery. Still musing on just how determined the Belgians were last night. Ominous.
I'll be watching this afternoon much to Mrs TR's irritation, she thinks football is a stupid game and is hacked off at the blanket coverage given to this game on the BBC News, "is there nothing else happening in the world?" I'll watch on RTE as they don't have the jingoistic panelists, they tend to be objective in their comments, well all except Eamon Dunphy the old soak who will just say something controversial for the sake of it, plus they have commentators who simple commentate on the game not show off how clever they are with useless stats, a bit more old school like the late great Brian Moore.......... Anyway, C'mon England.....
No really: The Mrs is Swedish, the boy (12) is about 60/40 for Sweden and the 16 year old daughter couldn't care less. The worst thing is that we are going to a birthday party and I'll be outnumbered 1.4 to 50. They are going to love me!!!!
Mate, you want a quick goal by England so they boot you out in anger and you can go home or to the pub and watch it in comfort.
Just had a short but intense debate with my daughter after she heard me humming ‘it’s coming home’. She (with no interest in football) after asking who we were playing, claimed she would be supporting Sweden. I explained that that is not physically possible as they are neutral, they have no characteristics whatsoever, there is nothing to support, it’s a vast ocean of blandness.
My Mrs is the exact opposite and loves football. I was happy to stay at home and watch it so I can concentrate on the game but she wants to go to the pub where forty of us are meeting up, all ex-pats from Fulham.
