England
beat Wales yesterday and it was tense. My friend Keith has often used
the expression “tense as a pig” and while none of us has any idea what
he’s talking about, if any game was going to take me to pig levels of
tension, yesterday was it. An injury time winning goal for your team is a
beautiful moment and it was lovely to feel some of the joy that other
countries seem to get on a regular basis. Watching England at a major
tournament can so often feel like a massive chore but the explosion of
joy at the end was genuine and heartfelt. It feels like we’re finally
part of the whole thing and I like the way we kept plugging away.
One could say that Roy got lucky and possibly that’s true. It does seem a little odd to bring four strikers to the Euros (I’m counting Wayne Rooney as a midfielder at this point) and only play one at a time. But what the hell do I know. Perhaps this was the plan all along. Start with one striker and when that doesn’t work out replace him with all the others. I enjoyed Roy’s celebration as well. I can’t begin to imagine the pressure he’s under at the moment and that goal looked like it lifted a massive weight from his shoulders. He deserves a little thanks from a grateful nation, at least for a few days until he brings on the wrong player against Slovakia and we can go back to abusing him.
Jamie Vardy scored with virtually his first touch and the fairy story continues. I wouldn’t be totally shocked if he scored the winner in the final, won the golden boot and was knighted in the New Years honours list. Well I would be but his life at the moment appears to be operating on that rare level where he dreams that something incredible will happen and then it happens.
Daniel Sturridge got the winner and it was joy unconfined although I could do without the celebration dance. Of course I’ll be happy to see it five or six more times at the tournament but I find him a difficult footballer to love. He’s obviously a phenomenal player and when he’s on his game he’s virtually unplayable but he’s just a little too selfish for my liking. And I’m also not too comfortable with sports people professing their thanks to God for letting them play well. If God was that much on your side, you probably wouldn’t be starting on the bench.
As for Joe Hart, he’ll be a relieved man this morning but I wouldn’t be too hard on him. Gareth Bale takes an unbelievable free kick and he’s definitely got goalies psyched out. It’s all very well pundits sitting there and saying that he should’ve started further to the right but Bale has the ability to hit the ball either way and keepers are trying to second guess him. Also, he hits the ball very hard indeed.
I’m told by friends who were there that the atmosphere was intense. At one point during the game, there was a great shot of a Wales fan crying with the emotion of it all. The camera stayed on him and his mates pointed out to him that he was on the big screen. There was no mocking him. Most of the people there and those watching at home would’ve cried at football at some point so there’s no shame in that. It was just great to see the passion.
It was a good day for Northern Ireland as well. I can only apologise for slagging them off the other day but they were terrible in the first match and they all said so. But they were transformed yesterday and beat Ukraine. How brilliant that there’s something riding on their last group game against Germany in Paris.
One could say that Roy got lucky and possibly that’s true. It does seem a little odd to bring four strikers to the Euros (I’m counting Wayne Rooney as a midfielder at this point) and only play one at a time. But what the hell do I know. Perhaps this was the plan all along. Start with one striker and when that doesn’t work out replace him with all the others. I enjoyed Roy’s celebration as well. I can’t begin to imagine the pressure he’s under at the moment and that goal looked like it lifted a massive weight from his shoulders. He deserves a little thanks from a grateful nation, at least for a few days until he brings on the wrong player against Slovakia and we can go back to abusing him.
Jamie Vardy scored with virtually his first touch and the fairy story continues. I wouldn’t be totally shocked if he scored the winner in the final, won the golden boot and was knighted in the New Years honours list. Well I would be but his life at the moment appears to be operating on that rare level where he dreams that something incredible will happen and then it happens.
Daniel Sturridge got the winner and it was joy unconfined although I could do without the celebration dance. Of course I’ll be happy to see it five or six more times at the tournament but I find him a difficult footballer to love. He’s obviously a phenomenal player and when he’s on his game he’s virtually unplayable but he’s just a little too selfish for my liking. And I’m also not too comfortable with sports people professing their thanks to God for letting them play well. If God was that much on your side, you probably wouldn’t be starting on the bench.
As for Joe Hart, he’ll be a relieved man this morning but I wouldn’t be too hard on him. Gareth Bale takes an unbelievable free kick and he’s definitely got goalies psyched out. It’s all very well pundits sitting there and saying that he should’ve started further to the right but Bale has the ability to hit the ball either way and keepers are trying to second guess him. Also, he hits the ball very hard indeed.
I’m told by friends who were there that the atmosphere was intense. At one point during the game, there was a great shot of a Wales fan crying with the emotion of it all. The camera stayed on him and his mates pointed out to him that he was on the big screen. There was no mocking him. Most of the people there and those watching at home would’ve cried at football at some point so there’s no shame in that. It was just great to see the passion.
It was a good day for Northern Ireland as well. I can only apologise for slagging them off the other day but they were terrible in the first match and they all said so. But they were transformed yesterday and beat Ukraine. How brilliant that there’s something riding on their last group game against Germany in Paris.
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